Hadrian Trickster
by WhiteDemoness11
Summary: Harry makes a wish that changed everything. Now he has a life far from England with a mother who is a Trickster Spirit, his aunt is the Black Widow, and he is about to start Hogwarts. Wait, he has a spoiled BWL twin and his parents are alive all along? Oh this means war! Not Slash, WBWL, Neutral Harry. Blaise friendship. AU, creatures and crazy mothers beware! Nanowrimo entry WIP.
1. Chapter 1

Hadrian Trickster

This is my NanoWriMo entry. I reserve the right to abuse mythology and history in this AU to my own means. Don't own Harry Potter. Do not make any attempts at grammar or spelling. That would render this work rather then just getting an idea out in a frenzied writing game. I am still updating all my other stories just having been getting back into the feeling of writing a little daily. Don't get sick! It messes you up...

Not Slash, wrong boy who lived, Neutral Harry. Blaise friendship. AU, creatures and crazy mothers beware!

I swap from Harry to Hadrian and intermingle the two for a while until he fully transitions in my mind to Hadrian. Again, writing fast I don't always catch switches. Hey I'm determined to hit or pass 50k words this month!

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It was a very dreary morning for six year old Harry when he peeked out the tiny basement window, taking a break from counting the boxes. There wasn't much else to do down there, it was a very small and hot space after all, dark too. The only things down there were the washing machine and dryer, and a tiny little light with a chain too high for the boy to reach. He'd been tossed down here in the morning, because Mrs. Figg was out and Dudley wanted to have friends over. Harry didn't really mind, he could imagine alone down here. It was too dark to do much, and he really wanted to go through some of the ratty old boxes to see if there was anything, but the fear of being caught by his family overwhelmed him.

So instead Harry looked out the tiny window, too low to the ground for any to see him, but it wasn't bad. Just not much of a view usually. He lucked out today though, and the other potential reason he had been tossed down here became obvious. Harry after all, as his school teacher told him on report cards that always made it into the trash, was a very smart boy. It was why he put the cards in the trash on the way home. If anyone else saw it they'd accuse him of stealing Dudley's. Nope, this was easier. And so his mind easily put together having the door open so Dudley could play with his friends, coming and going as their gossipy mothers did on this lovely Saturday in July. That was easily paired, with the house just barely in view of his dusty window that sat diagonally from number 4 the next street over.

It's back yard and part of the front was easily found from the basement window facing away from the front of the house. He was very glad now Vernon had never replaced the back fence which was wire mesh and easy enough to see out of. Eventually he intended to replace it with the white picket Petunia wanted, but for now, it allowed him to peer at his newest neighbor. The last time someone moved into the area it was that horrid boy Piers who befriended Dudley in Harry Hunting. Shrill, hard to understand chatter came from upstairs and Harry rubbed his already dirty sleeve of a too large shirt on the messy window to clear it a bit. Then he blinked again. There was definitely a moving truck, and he could make out a few men from a tiny sliver of view at the side of the house. Giving up on seeing any further out Harry sighed, wiggling to get comfortable on the boxes and just listening to his heart beat. At least he wasn't in his cupboard. There was room here to pace if he got too stiff from sitting. At some point, cuddled amongst the boxes, Harry dozed off. As he often did, he dreamed of being somewhere else. Somewhere he was wanted. It was his most desired wish.

It was a few days later, Harry was cleaning the kitchen floor when he heard the tapping on the door. Aunt Petunia had been puttering about, being worse then usual about how clean everything was since the new neighbor had been visiting the rest of the houses and the residents of number 4 intended to secure their role as the most marvelously perfectly normal neighbors. Aunt Petunia had taken to the store no less then five times, which was six less then last time someone moved into the area. Then again if she had run out of the tea varieties specifically for these occasions, Harry would have thought Dudley had taken to drinking tea rather then pop. Aunt Petunia had actually been baking up a frenzy, as much as she made Harry cook, she was apparently very good at it. Harry had been sort of made her assistant and told to learn as she worked. If she hadn't been so snappish and quick to swat him, he would have enjoyed it. Apparently Petunia had gotten top marks in her Home Ec classes as a teen. As it was, Harry knew if someone -did- come over he was to stay in the kitchen, cleaning as quietly as possible and setting up things for tea service so all his Aunt had to do was take out the tray. He'd been sitting polishing the good silver for a long time. And then repolishing. He'd never thought cleaning floors would sound so nice.

Eventually though, he risked a peek after Petunia had taken the tea tray, the sounds of the voice of their new neighbor falling silent as he heard the clickety clack of Aunt Petunia's heels going upstairs, doubtless to fetch Dudley. Green eyes peered around the corner, low to the floor and blinked at the sight. Looking completely out of place on the floral monstrosity that was their loveseat, sat a woman with faintly tan skin. Her hair was pulled back in a severe braid that then looped around into a bun and was a dark brown that made Harry rub at his eyes because it didn't quite look right. She wore a knee length suit dress in a deep chocolate color and matching blazer, with low heels tucked by her purse. Slowly the woman sipped at her tea and she looked so completely unremarkable that it was strange. Oh sure she was pretty, in fact from what he could see of her profile she was as pretty as the women in his Aunt's magazines, but she blended with all the brown.

Something glittered then in her purse and Harry's eyes were caught. It was one of those moments he felt the tickle of something along his spine, his hair standing on end as he wanted to _not get caught, not get seen_ so badly! He moved slowly, a step here, licking his lips and breathing softly, another step. Then a loud Bang from upstairs distracted the woman, and Harry's hand darted the last few inches, feeling something rise up with his _want it now!_ And Harry scampered back only half a step before the need _to be hidden, to be safe!_ Landed Harry in his cupboard. Well, he was supposed to come here after he finished the floors anyways. Breathing rapidly, his eyes wide at the fact he just stole something, Harry looked down at his clasped hands. He was trembling, shaking, with a feeling of _mine mine mine mine mine_ as he slowly cracked his hands open, then thought better of it and shuffled so he wasn't in view the moment the cupboard was open. Now he slowly opened his hands, eyes wide.

There in his hands, was a perfect orb. Cupped in his tiny hands it filled his palms, just barely small enough for his tiny fingers to hide it from view. It shifted, from sunset pinks to caramel to deepest of navy blue, then black. Constantly shifting and swirling with flickers of beautiful stars that fluttered in seemingly random patterns. It was as if someone had taken a reflection from the pond nearby at all the phases of the sky, and then locked fireflies in with it. It was breathtaking, beautiful. Harry's green eyes widened, his tiny mouth open in an O of awe as he watched the stars in the ball of sky. He'd seen a program in school once on the northern lights, and they in all their beautiful colors had nothing on this. There was something about this, something that made every time his family had changed the T.V. From something they didn't like and huffed about 'Magic wasn't real'. This proved, it was. There simply was no other explanation. As Harry held the tiny ball of stars and lost himself in wonder, he knew somehow, that this was a change of his future. Somehow.

()()()()()()()()

Despite Harry's panic and hiding of his new treasure under the cupboard, it wasn't every found even when Aunt Petunia did one of her annual tossing out of just about everything in there that he had 'stolen' from them. Guessing that for whatever reason she couldn't see the orb, he took to keeping it in his pocket. Somehow, just having it near seemed to make him feel better. One day in August he sat behind the tool shed, rolling the little bit of sky over in her fingers and feeling himself calm, only to meet the eyes of his neighbor, the brown lady as he'd taken to calling her in his mind. Paling, he wrapped his fingers around the orb and hovered back, even though there was a fence between them. She just looked at him, and though she wasn't frowning, Harry was too familiar with adults to not know when they were so displeased. Where his families eyes got cold though and Harry cringed, there was something else in the brown lady's eyes. It was as if she was one of the serpents that sometimes came to bask in his aunt's garden, and he was a mouse, too small to be worth striking at and yet still prey. As if she was deciding. Harry gulped, his mouth dry and yet...that same urge that had taken over when he stole the orb from the brown lady's purse, made him pay attention. She was too stiff, too serious as she looked at him. She seemed angry, but sad too, frustrated.

Harry knew how that felt.

What was more, was her eyes were not on him, but on the orb he kept hidden in his hands. Her orb. Guilt filled him then, and the six year old boy, despite the treasure being one that made him feel better, have hope, swallowed his tears and stood, walking to the fence. Each step felt as if he was breaking his own heart but he held up the ball to her, unable to reach the top of the fence and swallowed, too ashamed to look up.

"'m sorry I took it..."

There was a strange intake sound of air, and then Harry peeked up, curious and then blinked. If she was holding still before, it was more so now. Her eyes flickered from their hungry perusal to the boy standing there, filthy and tired and clearly not wanting to give it back, yet doing so.

"What do you wish, for in exchange?" The brown lady spoke softly, and only then did Harry realize that she wasn't so brown. Oh her skin still had a faint hue to it, but her eyes were blue with a ring of amber around her pupils, and her hair looked more like a dark copper brown with flecks of gold dusted through it as it fell about her face. She wore green today, a rich olive color that reminded him of the underside of the bushes in the park. There was a weight to her words. Harry heard something else hissing sibilant under her voice, as if he was hearing the true question. _What do you wish, make a wish. No strings, mine once more._

Harry sighed, though he knew he had tons of wishes. So many wishes, some so simple and some complicated. Magic or not though, he knew deep in his heart what was right. "It was yours. I'm sorry I took it. Don't be mad at me?"

Harry blinked then, wondering when his neighbor had hopped the fence as she was suddenly kneeling right in front of him, and her hair seemed to shine with a soft glimmer of the sunlight, of starlight in contrast. It was as if he was seeing different things overlapping. Her voice came again, soft, low, with a thrumm to it that he felt in his bones, made the hair stand on end and the tickle around his spine once more as it flowed to his hands, curling around the ball of sky.

"What do you wish for?"

Harry licked his lips, meeting her eyes. Her strange eyes, that seemed more dark now..and yet lighter. Again seeing two things, neither the same, as they overlapped. "Anything?"

She nodded, a strange nonsense sound coming out of her then as she exhaled, her attention on him heavy. He smelled cinnamon and the earth after it rained, the crackle of air after lightning and a sweet cloying plant of some sort. He swallowed again, and something in the scents, in the strange nonsense she made taka taka taka taka... under her breath that he felt more then heard. It pulled the wish from deep under his sorrow and lonely nights, from when he had whispered to the little ball of sky.

"I don't know how to be happy."

It was such a sad painful thing to admit. He didn't. He was always aware that he was different, freakish, wrong. He wasn't worth being cared for, he was nothing, no one. Even to his family he just wasn't. So many things had gone wrong in his tiny life but he knew kids were supposed to laugh and have fun and smile and run around like in the television shows. They weren't supposed to look like him when they had a family that had a nice house and food on the table. They weren't supposed to be thirsty or hungry, or cold, or too hot. They weren't supposed to be locked up and ignored because they were a bother or given a pair of glasses because they were free out of an old bin but didn't work right. They weren't supposed to be talked to as if they were worse then vermin and for some reason, even though he never cried. Right then six year old Harry Potter rubbed his free arm across his eyes, knocking his glasses off as he fought the trembling lip and held out the ball again to the woman it had belonged to, his tiny voice waivering with heartbreak and sorrow that was to heavy for his petite frame.

"You shouldn't be unhappy because someone like me took something from you."

The woman stayed still, then her hands came up to cup the orb, folding his fingers around it. "You are giving it back, without anything in exchange? No wish?"

"What I wan't you can't wish for."

The eyes softened, ever so slightly, and the taka taka taka was back. "What is it?"

"I wish.." He stopped, he didn't like the crackle in the air he felt with those words. "No." He waited until the crackling was gone then took a deep breath and tried again. "I just be nice if I had a family that I fit in with..that I belonged..."

The crackling faded into a loud buzzing, and a strange sound of yipping and barking, of a dessert wind, and a babbling stream, and the sudden lack of weight in his hand as the orb vanished made Harry's eyes widen. "What..."

The brown lady though just smiled, and then _moved_. Before he knew it Harry was wrapped up with his face against soft hair and there was a feeling of air rushing about him before he was in the cool darkness, a heart beating an unfamiliar fast rhythm against his cheek. Peeking slightly Harry realized he was in another house, one not unlike number 4 in layout so it had to be the same block. The taka taka sound had faded to a soft crooning noise. Before Harry knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

He woke later, in a very soft bed, with soft blankets piled all around him. Blinking sleepily Harry rubbed his eyes only to find his glasses missing. Looking around he came face to face with what he'd thought was a fur blanket he was snuggled up against. He blinked again and lifted the strange oblong pillow.. only for it to twitch. His eyes wide he turned, blurry vision able to see well enough close up to see the very large creature sleeping beside him, eyes cracked to watch him. Blue and amber.

Confused Harry looked and saw that what he'd thought were blankets were actually three separate tails to the creature, that wasn't quite a dog but it wasn't a fox either. Though Harry knew he should be worried, there was just something so soft, so safe in how he felt at the moment that he could not bring himself to panic. Instead he snuggled back in, closer to those eyes, the muzzle where he knew were sharp teeth. Slowly the emerald eyes blinked in time with the mixed and then he felt his pillow shift, and suddenly his face rested on the belly of the brown lady. Long fingers combed through his hair as she chuckled, seeing his confusion at his acceptance.

"You made a special wish, little one. You made a wish that was not a wish, for you tried to give my jewel back. You see, what you had stolen is never left out of my sight, or that of any others like me. It holds power, until I can become stronger I have to store it. Once every one hundred years, depending on how long it takes to gather enough power, I can absorb it. I can't use it before one hundred years, and I have to carry it around...and if I lose it, whomever finds it gets a wish which uses the power in it." Guilt began to stir in Harry but the woman gave him such a delighted smile he blinked.

"But you see, -you- have power in you little one..and when you tried to give it back, honestly unaware but knowing it was mine..and yet made a wish, you instead made a trade. In exchange for your wish, your magic increased my own ahead of the next forty years it would take before I could have gained another tail." She laughed then, aware he was confused but her simple pure delight made him smile and know that really, not only was he being forgiven -amazingly- but thanked for stealing! "I had four tails earlier..and now I have six! Six! Now I know why so many of my ancestors tried to deal with wizards!"

What the woman was saying made no sense to Harry..but he had a feeling, a good one, that everything had changed.

()()()()()

"Harry?"

Harry turned and smiled at his friend Blaise, shrugging and then leaning back again in the long grass from where he'd been sitting. "Sorry. Spaced out remembering..it's the anniversary of when I was snatched away after all."

"Ah." Blaise gave him a sly lopsided smirk at that, hearing what he really was alluding to. Out of everyone, only the Zabini family knew of Harry's origins. Shortly after he'd been kidnapped from his back yard that day, he had learned a great deal of things. One of which was his new 'mother' wasn't fully human. He still didn't know how she'd convinced the Dursley's he had run away despite knowing the words she'd used on her compulsion _such a rotten boy, after all you can't change the nature of those children. Such good people you were, taking him in, taking care of him. Better not let those strange people know. Not that they understand good honest normal folk like you. No no no..._ it was a complex thing, his mother's magic. The one real blessing they had was how much it melded seamlessly with wizard magic so she'd left the compulsion in the bloodwards themselves. As a farewell gift when his mother moved away again, having just been renting for a year, she'd given Petunia a very expensive looking statue with gold leaf covering it to let it be just passed tasteful of a tree and several crystals. What Petunia didn't know was that of the crystals, beneath the veneer from the semi precious stones was his blood, kept fresh with some old magics unknown to human wizards. The bloodwards would remain up. After all the best way to keep someone off your trail was to not leave one, that he'd learned.

That first year he'd stayed, right across from his old prison. After Harry had told his new mother that he always called her the brown lady in her head -she'd laughed herself silly for a bit at that- he'd been disguised with more of her kind of magic and showed up as her son from a failed marriage, Harold Brown with a nod to his original name for Trickster. It was also his first time using an alias and disguise, so she'd picked a name that wasn't so unlike the one he was used to. Since most the time his aunt and uncle hadn't used his real name preferring Boy or Freak, he'd adapted swiftly. With his hair lightened and skin darkened, and his eyes more hazel then green and some good clothing no one had made the connection. That first year had been so much a whirlwind as his whole life changed. When he had shyly confessed to his mother that it felt like he was adapting and it should feel strange but didn't, he'd gotten a laughing answer of magic.

That was the other thing, learning he was a wizard. That had been a slow introduction for a few years, allowing him time to adjust to his new life before it became even stranger. Still with more questions, but not ones he felt up to asking his mother, they'd moved after a year, with Harry just past the time of seven years old and two months one day -he kept track thank you and was not just seven. Just after that time they had boarded a plane to Italy of all places, where he'd been swept along in his mother's arms and rubbing his face sleepily while carried into a limo. Several odd modes of transportation after that and he was in a charming three bedroom house in the Italian countryside being introduced to Blaise as his new friend and hustled off into the yard to play.

The two boys had given each other a funny look before talking. Fortunately for Harry, Blaise spoke English fluently. It had started with questions about Italy and England, then traversed into discussing food. At some point they'd ended up searching the yard for treasures that Blaise assured him one of his ancestors had buried and never been found. Being less then eight years old, of course somehow pirates and dragons had somehow entered the picture as they searched. Luckily it had only been by dinner before they were best friends in reality as much as in their make believe world. When they came back in, two knowing pairs of eyes looked over them and the most beautiful human woman he'd ever seen was before him, smoothing back their hair and crooning.

"I am Eleonora Zabini, Blaise's mamma. You may call me Mamma or Zia, Auntie..Blaise calls Ambra Zia.." Eleonora purred at him, her voice a soft and gentle breathy sound but with a sharpness that let one know to pay attention. Harry blinked at the name and grinned. Like he'd mind replacing his former Aunt Petunia!

"Ambra, Zia Zabini?"

Eleonora laughed then and waved her hand, a deep content laugh from her belly. "Ambra is what I named your Madre a few years back, si? For her eyes. I did not know it was a disguise a that point in time. Eleonora is a long...you may call me Zia Ele." She rolled her eyes and put a hand to her chest with a very long suffering sigh, making Blaise snigger. "Is what my nonna called me. Ele. Always had to shorten everything so she could yell it better." Ele lifted a dark brow with a sly smirk, her skin was dusky but a great deal lighter then her sons, but she made up for it with the sheer crows wing hue of her hair and eyes. "Most people use a full name when bambini's are in trouble. Not Nonna Zabini! The shorter your name, the more trouble you were in! I got into much trouble." The accent was thick, but pleasant and Harry got the feeling that much of the omission or switching of words was more long habit to enhance her mysterious allure then it was a lack of fluency.

It was little doubt how Eleonora Zabini and his own mother had gotten along in the past. Misleading was second nature to both, and they showed just enough of that around their sons to keep them at ease for when they would perform in front of others. Wouldn't do to have your child act startled after all, and blow your act.

They ended up around a few comfortable old chairs in the kitchen 'the dining room is for larger groups, Harry! Not for family! Si Blaise, get the juice..no wine for you two until dinner and then only a litle..', eating and drinking as they shared stories and Blaise was quite happy to explain the different foods as their mother's spoke in rapid Italian. Every so often they would swap languages to include the boys, but for the most part despite sitting only two chairs apart the adults and the children felt as if they were able to have private talks. Harry shared stories of his last year with Ambra, whom he explained he'd been calling Taka after the noise she made sometimes but that she'd gone by Rachelle when he first met her. Blaise had chortled and nudged his mamma to tell her that one and the group got a good laugh at the Trickster's expense as Ambra blushed. Her noises were a side effect and well known to all of them. Blaise had been to happy then to mention several other names he'd heard she went by but that in Magical Italy it was always Ambra Zabini, as apparently their mothers were very close. Though Ambra was a few centuries old, she was for her race only around about her early thirties and her age would slow as she gained more tails. She'd befriended Eleonora's grandfather and then when she met the young Ele it was apparently much like Harry's own kidnapping. Only without the wish and all, but Blaise contently explained the concept of magical family. When your magic was so in tune with some people it just knew they were meant to be your closest of friends. There had been much more known of it back in the days that Ambra was born, back when to take a fosterling in or have a blood brother was considered as good if not better then to be born of the same parents. The oldest magical families still practiced some forms of it, and after Blaise explained the descriptions both boys got rather wide eyed and looked at each other.

It was then their mother's laughed. "Si Ele, I think they have figured it out!"

"I owe you five knuts, you were right of course Ambra, right off the bat they were just like us.."

"Ele! I taught you better Bella! Only make a bet when you know you can win, or get something from the loss!"

"But now they shall want the story of my capture! And it is such a wonderful story, and I never get to tell it!" Ele had turned then, black eyes glittering as Ambra lowered her head with a long drown out whine that was not remotely human. "I was just three years old, and in a lovely little white dress with a red sash. We were all out in the garden at the main house of my Nonna..here, in Magical Italy Harry, power and names does not go through the male but from the mothers. The matriach's are the one in control and thus Blaise has my last name and I had it from my great grandmother many years back. The men get their own money and things and the name of a husband means more in politics but the lands stay with the women. So, here I am, little girl with my hair just let out of papers in the great garden for my cousin's engagement party.."

Blaise grinned and handed over a bit of rolled meat that he had just cut carefully, Harry quite happy to try just about anything Blaise put in front of him. Maybe it was that magical bond they'd mentioned but he knew Blaise wouldn't hurt him. Prank maybe, but not so soon. "Engagement? So you had a big crowd? Madre..." He smiled at Ambra's encouraging smile, though he knew mamma was more casual and endearing he liked the sound of Madre. "She grabbed me from where I was hiding unseen in the back yard.."

Eleonora rewarded his admission with another of her rich laughs and a waving of hands as she continued her story, the winking lights cast by the jewels on her fingers only making the tale more enchanting. "Si! It was very crowded! My cousin, she was Bellisimo! Very beautiful.."

"Not as pretty as Mamma is now though." Blaise interjected seriously, taking a sip of his juice and blushing at his mother's adoring smile.

"I was three, it was her spotlight. Anyways, very beautiful and all of us were in white dresses because Nonna wanted us to look like a painting. White dresses with colored sashes, the older girls wore pastel ones, younger were brighter. It was much like a wedding already, because Nonna loved to have parties and she was tricky!" Ele grinned and wagged her finger. "So tricky are the Zabini's! She knew that if the boy courting her little granddaughter could handle the sight of it looking like a casual wedding he would be good. He stammered, he blushed, but he was proper. Bashful but kind. He made moon eyes at my cousin the whole time and then would smile as if he had been given a kingdom. It made nonna very happy. So amidst all this music and many people there who were very important.." Eleonora's hands began to weave erratically. "I am trying to be good, to just stand or sit and look like a little doll, a good girl si? Trying very much though I did not want to ruin my dress and make Nonna sad I did not -like- being good. I wanted to play, to chase after the fairies which I knew had to be in the garden because it was so beautiful. So I started to look around..my hands I kept behind my back to not tempt me, but I did not like the talking. Endless standing and talking of the adults." Ele paused and gave the boys a look. "They smelled badly, of smoke and perfumes and I did not like it." She wrinkled her nose then, somehow perfectly looking charming while expressing distaste.

"So! I go wandering and next thing I know.. I see a little fox. Tiny, brown, not at all like the pretty reds I was used to seeing in paintings! Just brown like the dirt. Then the little fox suddenly jumped on me..." Ele gave a heavy sigh then. "And I realized it was brown _because_ of the dirt! It was a filthy muddy fox that had been now all over my pretty white dress! And it was..." Ele leaned forward and her voice dropped to a whisper expressing the horror of the moment. "It was _licking me!"_

Both boys, even though Blaise had heard the tale before began to laugh, grinning at Ambra as she flushed as red as a fox's fur should have been and huffed.

"That is not the best part..the little filthy fox was licking not just me, but my fingers and face where I had some sweets from earlier still on my tiny face! I had found a dirty shameless beast with a sweet tooth!"

"She still does!" Harry chortled, highly amused as Ambra made another little keening whine and pouted, playing up to Ele's story with a fond look about her.

"Ele is not mentioning her giggling and how she tried to pick me up! I was not that small but you see she was standing on a low garden wall at the time, the kind they surround flower beds with that aren't even higher then your ankle and I had been crouched..I was small at the time for I was a fox, not in my blended form but hiding in an illusion. After all, who in Italy knew of a coyote!" Ambra wiggled her eyebrows there. "So Several times, this little girl who I just knew was _mine _kept trying to tie her sash around my neck like a pet dog!"

"And you know what?" Ele asked, taking the story back over. "She followed me like a good puppy..right into my cousin's party up to Nonna where I showed them my new friend. Of course they started to shriek, I think more about my dress being ruined then I had a fox with me...and it startled Ambra so much she pounced and next thing I knew..." Her long fingers wiggled about. "I was somewhere else and a strange woman dressed horribly and utterly filthy was looking down at me!"

What happened after that the boys had no idea as Ambra and Eleonora would fall into arguing with each tale more crazy then the last, apparently this a ritual of theirs. Blaise had looked over at Harry and lifted a brow, somehow wordlessly expressing 'our moms are insane'.

Harry sighed and nodded.

The next years had been thrilling. They always summered with Blaise and Eleonora, and then in the winter while Blaise learned his family magics and how to run the family's business in wine and several textile and fashion houses Harry would take on another identity and go traveling with Ambra. He'd taken to calling her that in his mind most the time now. An additional plus was because they had spent now, over four years in Italy Harry was fluent in Italian and Signora Zabini had extended the use of her name to them. As their mother's were considered sisters anyways it would have been allowed under Magical Law, but with his own magic bond of brotherhood to Blaise the two could easily use Potter or Zabini. Even better, with all of Blaise's step fathers he gained access to all their last names as true and legal ones for identities, and thus so did Harry and Ambra. Most the time though they used Trickster as a last name which made Harry highly amused.

Technically it was Ambra's way of being obvious. She was a mixed creature with a background that required accepting magic did strange things to understand. It was Harry's immense delight that some of the magics she had could be taught to him as he'd been 'adopted' in the legal sense even if he gained none of the traits of her mixed heritage. She had promised to adopt him properly if he still wanted when he had hit thirteen and his magic had become stable enough for the slight influx of creature magic. After all she had more of that then she did as a witch but still was considered more or less a half breed at the time and so in turn would pass on much less of her own traits to Harry. Since only a third of her heritage was even likely to be available, it only lessened what he may be able to learn further. Still after their bonding from his wish, it was the only reason Harry could use the magics of hers that he had open to him already. The coyote earth magics wouldn't pass on, Ambra barely had access to those as it was and explained that it had to do with a person's calling from what she figured out. You either were given power from the America's first people or you didn't get it. She had her shifting abilities only because she already had a form not too unlike her fathers, so it was meeting her halfway. So only one of her parents nonhuman magic could be passed on.

Ambra's 'parent' since he couldn't really be called her mother or father, was a kitsune from Japan, though a more pure blooded line that still held ties to the princess originally from India. Apparently that was as descriptive of his race as saying someone was English without getting into any of their history or region. The particular type of Kitsune her father was took male and female form, and would take whatever was 'given' to them as female and pass it on a male. Apparently one of the easiest ways to gain power for tails was to sleep with others and steal some of their energy during coitus. You could also eat hearts, consume full souls, live a long enough time in a magical area..there was actually a lot to do if you wished to get stronger. Many apparently never bothered. So Ambra had three parents, her Coyote skin shifter father who had too much to drink one night, having no idea how he'd managed to get into Europe at the time and confused. It was most likely he had wandered across a wizarding ship seeking out the mice and rats for an easy meal. The viking's had often traversed the waters to the Americas and plenty of their descendents with the same skills and weather magics had lived in England after all, it was only as they started dealing more with the emerging magical societies that many of the old Voyagers had given up on their wanderlust. Some however, had taken roles on expeditions under the armies of the day even in muggle control. Then her Witch mother who had been willing to fool around with a magical creature but hadn't expected to get pregnant from the Kitsune. In short she had a dad, a carrier/impregnator she usually just called her parent, and a mother.

Her Kitsune parent had just been going wherever the bedmates he had took him, seeking out power that way though every so often he did consume a heart, usually if it was someone that offended his sense of honor. Considering caravans going from one end of nations to another in trades and goods were common, especially those willing to smuggle things out of Japan who had a very much complete disinterest in dealing with the other nations, it wasn't that surprising a trickster spirit like her parent had ended up willingly leaving his homeland.

As men were far easier to seduce, it was really pure chance that after a night with her coyote father, a somewhat antsy parent had shifted to male form and sought out a comely witch who had been a child widow and nothing against a exotic man in her bed who would leave come morning with no interest in her or her holdings. Usually her parent didn't bed more then one lover a night, but the coyote shifter had not given as much of a meal, and so what he had 'caught' was still fresh when he finished with the witch. Well fed on the energy he drained from both lovers, he'd vanished without a thought to either his meals or the seed that would become a sapling.

Fortunately for Ambra her mother had decided to keep her until it was obvious her magics were more of her creature side. She'd been trained as a witch, at home with a few tutors as was the norm at the time. Being partly nonhuman and with a wealthy widow of a mother, Ambra was not set up for a marriage. Knowing her daughter would likely outlive any muggle or wizard, and neither would be fond of a woman who wasn't always a woman or even human, Ambra had then left after her innate wanderlust had taken over with her mother's blessing. It was less awkward for the now middle aged widow to have lovers over without her child at home.

At some point her parent had tracked her down, highly amused that she had actually been conceived and then survived so long already and training had begun. Luckily they had gone back to the Americas that first century of her life before the invasions had really begun and most of her father's people had been wiped out by disease and greedy foreigners. Not that they had trusted her, and her magics were too interwoven to be properly of any of her parents. She had learned some though, and the main thing she had gained from her coyote father was sheer adaptability and cunning. She'd a gift for recognizing plants that would help or harm, but the elders had been surprisingly kind when they told her that though one of their people's own, she was not of their kind. She'd been gifted a few plants from across the Americas to take back with her, and then over the centuries seeing the proud nations that were once her ancestors destroyed by those from the other side of her blood, decided to never return to those lands.

What magics she could teach Harry, she did. It wasn't very hard to figure out either as many of her own ancestral powers were locked away..hence why she wanted more tails. When she achieved her full nine, she would be able to use them as any of her parent or father's people would have. Even her mother's blood would make her a stronger witch. They would stop all trying to cancel each other out for once. As it was despite being a 'creature' she was known as Ambra Zabini instead, a weak witch, and had a wand. It may not have allowed her to cast much or often, but she could at least blend and that was invaluable. If no one ever learned her wand core was hairs from her own tail, all the better.

So Harry had been taught illusions on his person that worked flawlessly. He had been allowed to practice a few simple spells under Zia Ele's watchful eyes with his Madre's wand since it would recognize him as partially adopted in magic. Blaise had done the same with one of the wands from his step fathers that apparently was a good match. The illusions, If he kept to the same gender or similar looks they could be kept up almost indefinitely and were not dispelled with a finite or detectable though Harry still needed a wand to cast them. They weren't an energy drain either. He could create the signature Kitsune-bi flames too, that had no heat and just cast light. Well, his had no heat at least. So far Harry had picked up both easily but was struggling with any of the others, he was thrilled to finally get a wand of his own and learn more magics properly.

So was Blaise. Using a wand from a dead man that your mother had killed, was a bit eerie after all. It was how Blaise and Harry had figured out though that like Harry could cast a few spells of Ambra's nature, with their magical bond Eleonora must be able to 'devour' the energy of her lovers and it was why she was so impossibly beautiful. Unlike Ambra though, Ele never hid her looks. Though a bit on the creepy factor both boys tried to ignore that part of the sweet and darkly beautiful Zabini matriarch.

No boy wanted to consider that their mother/aunt literally 'loved' her men to death.

"You are not present again, Harry." Blaise pointed out amused. "So much wandering in the past.."

"Reviewing mostly." Harry sighed and shrugged. "I'm still trying to decide what name I want to use for school. Madre is leaving it up to me. I can't decide..but I'd love some opinions?"

"Hmmm..." Blaise chewed on a bit of grass as he thought, watching the sky above. "You look enough like me from your summers here to go by Zabini..I'd like to call you my brother in public. I'll be misleading people by being arrogant. That way neither the light or the dark will think I'm on the other's side. I'll dislike both but the shallow nature of kids will ensure they both think I dislike their side less.."

"I don't think I could pull that one off." He paused. "I don't want to go as Potter. There's too much too weird that Zia found out..it's like I was being set up. I mean, no will, no relatives from my dad's side..my mother's sister" Petunia was never called aunt anymore, that title was solely for his Zia Ele "a trust vault that is in my name but no key? It's only set to go out to me come school time? And we wouldn't even know -that- if not for a goblin dropping that information to Madre for a shiny pocket of galleons." He paused. "Especially since we can have the vault forwarded here and all..though I need to talk to the goblins about that in person. I bet they'll demand proof it's me somehow. I haven't gone by Potter for the majority of my life and certainly not in the British Wizarding world..it would feel odd."

"So, you acknowledge being Potter if asked but do not wish to go by it?" Blaise asked, cutting through to the issue with a small smile. Harry hadn't gone by Potter really..ever. He may as well go by the last name Zoidberg it would mean as little. Also they hadn't paid much attention to what went on in England, it didn't matter to the Italian side of the ministry and Ele refused to subscribe to the prophet as it was in bed with the minster of magic in Britain. Apparently it had dared to name the Zabini's as potential Death Eater's in the last war, right after Grindelwald had been vicious to many of them and they had lost several beloved brothers in the wars. The prophet had been largely ignored in Italy since.

"Yeah." he paused, then blinked once...and got that slow blooming smirk that set off a twinge in Blaise's mind. They were both raised with a Black Widow and a Trickster spirit after all.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Trickster." Harry grinned and gave Blaise a grin. "Mom's used it enough in disguise over the years it -has- been around a few centuries if anyone looked. That'd throw off any pureblood supremacists. It's also a blatant warning that because it is so obvious-"

"No one will heed." Blaise grinned at that. "I like it. You could still claim to be related too, if anyone asks how we can explain that Italian pureblood tradition is to take the mother's name.."

"And if no one asks.."

Blaise smirked, easily finishing Harry's thought. "You'll never mention it. I like it. Let us go tell Mamma and Zia!"

The two boys took off laughing, they had shopping to do in the morning now that the name had been decided. Going to Hogwarts was apparently a tradition for many students in Italy, if they were not privately taught. Sure enough when the two burst in on their mothers drinking wine in the kitchen and in the midst of changing from Italian to English to ancient Sumerian...and that was a language that tended to give both boys headaches but it was a way for their mother's to gossip and not worry many would understand them. They were both looking forward to learning silencing spells instead of a whole language for when they wanted to talk.

"Ah, Blaise, Harry. I take it we can finally send the letters out? I was starting to think Ambra would go toothy and pounce the poor owls!"

"Toothy? Really I get six tails, four legs, and covered in -fur- and you remark on my teeth?"

"I figured it was nicer then your breath." Ele said with a slow wink and then chuckled, handing over a pair of quills already dipped in the burgundy ink Eleonora favored along with the letters. "Now, the spells are automated so whatever name you sign back will change things. We found that out when my cousins went because they did not use the same name..one used Zabini and one used Lagomarsino after her father. I was not sure if you would use my name, Blaise."

"Of course I am mamma!" Blaise said with a huff, for a moment actually looking all of eleven before he signed his name. Harry followed though he omitted his middle name and went instead by Hadrian Trickster. He heard the taka taka right before he was swept up in Ambra's arms and being nuzzled to the point he had to groan.

"Madre!"

Blaise looked over the letter and grinned. "Hadrian..clever! It's a common Italian name so no one will guess..and you left out the middle name. Good. Less to remember." He smirked then, watching as Harry gave in and simply let Ambra snuggle him, glad she at least had sat on one of the chairs so he wasn't dangling in the air. He couldn't quite hide his smile though as the completely non human noises coming from his very happy parent was worth it.

"Trickster is obviously not Italian but I don't think I could pull off being more then half anyways."

"Anyone who asks, Hadrian.." Eleonora smirked approvingly and nodded. "You tell them it is 'family business.' They won't get it but if you inflect it right, they won't ask."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Mamma...must we continue the stereotype?"

"Blaise my love, it isn't if it is true!"

Eventually Ambra let Harry down though she was apparently so happy she had completely dropped her glamour and Harry grinned back at her. This was what had peeked through when he first saw her and had been confused. Her skin was pale but with a healthy tone that would pass for a light tan easily. Her lashes were as dark as Eleonora's as were her eyebrows where her hair was wild and a bit on the fluffy side, hung to her waist in sleek dark golden brown hues. There was variations that were reminiscent of her fur, how there was more splotches then streaks to her hair but it would be hard to tell. There were sections that went every shade of brown to caramel to golden. It looked rather like someone had been passing gold dust through her hair, though some areas had a reddish hue that was from her fox heritage. Ele had told him back before Ambra had gained her last two tails with his help she had been more brown and red, and was slowly turning more of a golden color then the original russet. Her skin color would brown beautifully as it was now, in the summer thanks to her father's blood. Her eyes too were slowly gaining colors until they would some day far in the future likely beyond Harry's lifetime take on the appearance of that fateful celestial orb he had stolen. It was so very rare to see her like this that it made Harry even more proud. He snuggled into her side, and mumbled. "No disguises? Please?"

Ambra blinked and knelt down, amber blue eyes meeting with his own green. "I look less like your mother though.."

"You look -more- like my Madre like this!" Harry huffed, and Blaise interjected.

"He's right you know. Not the eyes but Hadrian's hair has red in it..and a lot more since we spend so much time enjoying the summer...and your skin is about the same shade, he's a bit darker.." Blaise grinned. "Just say his father had the eyes."

The scar was a non issue of course. It had quite the glamour on it and as long as Harry wore a pendant Eleonora had given him for his eighth birthday it would remain hidden. Blaise had a matching one, both were simple hematite circles with a hole in the middle.

Ambra smiled and just shrugged, giving in. After all next to Eleonora though she was still much more fey in her beauty, it wouldn't seem so out of place. Blaise had gotten his much darker skin from his father, same with his dark curls, so if anything they looked as much as family as could be. "Oh very well.."

"We -could- go now..if the boys got the cloaks.." Ele said glancing at the quick tempus she cast, lazily. "I do seem to have gotten a port key that is not time sensitive..the minister was most...eager, to help. He owes the family a great deal after all."

The boys rushed out, and back, politely handing their mothers cloaks over before putting on their own. After sending the owls off and cheerfully scooping up their letters shopping lists, both pleased to see that Blaise Zabini was there instead of Blaise Ignacio, and Hadrian Trickster instead of Harry James Potter. They grasped hold of the hideous rooster figurine and with a swirl, a jerk, and a rather annoying sensation of being kicked in the belly..landed smoothly in Diagon Alley's apparation point. If both boys had been about to stumble it was hidden by the gentle support of Eleonora and Ambra.

"Normally, you have to go into the Ministry, then floo." Eleonora said while looking at her manicure, done the precise color of a deep Bordeaux. "Such wonderful things, blackmail favors. Come now." With that said Signora Zabini chuckled and began to lead the way. "You will of course, have your robes tailored from home. They have already been done and waiting for you both. The only thing that makes them special is the lining and crest will form and is in accordance with Hogwarts' magic to match your house. We sent the robes over to Signora Malkin and for a fee she added what was necessary. It is not uncommon for after all... the Zabini have our hands in the pouches of the most spectacular designers. I sent her a bolt of Stregharian sheep's wool in thanks. You'll have all your robes altered for the trade through fifth year at which point I'll decide what to send next. Wands then.."

Eleonora paused, and the slight tilt of her head would have been nervous fidgeting and biting of lips on anyone else. "Signore Olivander.. he has a gift, he can sense what is in wands, and much about people..perhaps, Ambra, it would be best if you got the potions and looked over ingredients? We may be a while."

Ambra smiled and kissed Eleonora on the cheek, letting her know she appreciated the warning of someone who could probably see right through her being a 'witch'. "Si, I would be happy to. You know I love potions anyways with the skills of different ingredients being something my father's people were at least content to pass on..even if we do not use them at all the same. If it is longer then half an hour I shall meet you for the books?"

Eleonora smiled and returned the kiss, relieved. "Sounds wonderful. Come boys.. this is special. When you are fit to your wand.." Ambra slipped off, she would never have a proper wand but then, she didn't need one. Her mother's wand with the core replaced with her own tail hairs had always melded well. When it finally began to show the wood was tiring from channeling magic she had a replacement made with some of the wood from her father's people had given her. Likely, their wise elder had seen she would need it and though her magic was not of theirs, she was. Her wand of a core of herself, and the wood from a rare tree sacred to the blood of a father she had never gotten to know was a perfect match. After all it only needed to perform the most basic of spells for her. Everything else was a matter of sentiment.

"Signore Olivander!" Eleonora called out her voice warm and genuinely happy to see the moon eyed strange old man who had lost everything in his life, except the art he loved more then his own living. Eleonora also was thrilled to see him pout that she had spotted him and pointed him out to the boys. She wasn't sister to the Trickster spirit of the Zabini's for nothing! "I have brought my son, and my nephew!" That part was said with a peculiar clip to her voice, one that was a command. A reminder that despite what his senses and gifts could tell, that she had plenty of his own secrets to use against him. Not all of his wands and ingredients were gained honestly after all. She thought that the reason behind the surprise and rather startled expression on the old crafter's face, but he cleared his throat and gave her a look. It was a look she knew, there was something he needed to tell her. Inclining her head ever so slightly and with a flutter of her hands as she shooed the boys into position was his answer. She'd return later that night.

Shaking himself off of his strange mood Olivander approached. "Yes yes, still have your wand I presume Eleonora Zabini? Precisely thirteen inches rosewood, core of a very canny and old black Italian firethroat dragon heartstring. Yes thin, very flexible and marvelous for hexes and charms."

"You flatter me." Eleonora said with a wink, knowing he wasn't precisely speaking of her wand.

"Very good now.." He approached Blaise. "Mr Zabini? Keeping your mother's name?" Blaise nodded, a bit weirded out and Olivander chuckled. "Very good. Smart move, only the smartest Zabini men keep their mother's names you know... which arm is your wand arm?"

"Both sir." Blaise held them both out and Olivander blinked surprised.

"Which do you write with?"

"Both sir." Blaise grinned. "Originally I was left handed, but my best friend.." He gestured to Hadrian. "He used his right. We decided to teach each other to use the other hand when we were grounded for three weeks for pranking the muggle horses to give them witch locks in their manes after we found the old stories in a book. We kept up with it."

"Fabulous!" Olivander crowed like a rooster at that and began measuring one arm, handing him wand after wand, then the other. "Mind you will still do best with your left but this means you're much more tricky to find a wand for, because your wand needs to work -well- for both hands. Not perfect no..it will always do best with your left since that is what you started with, but it will need to be better in your off hand then for most. I myself use both hands. Takes a lot of work to cast with the other, it will feel clumsier then you think because your mind and body expect it to work as well as for writing, catch and the like. Now though you have to channel magic and it won't be instinctive. Keep with it though and you'd never be caught off guard. Most take a short cut, get a second wand..cast pathetic spells with the off hand. You'd be able to switch from one to the other..consider dueling?" All this time he'd been shoving wands in and taking them back out of both of Blaise's hands in rapid succession, ignoring the chaos created.

"Yes sir. I know Mamma is a deadly duelist and I was hoping to start learning when I turn thirteen.."

"Ah Zabini tradition. Good boy. Good boy.." All of a sudden there was a bang, a flash of light and the wand just put in Blaise's left hand exploded. Blaise blinked, relieved it hadn't hurt him.

"Um.."

Olivander looked at the smoking ruins of that wand and cheered. "Just a moment..I'm going for the old ones!" With that he scampered with all the energy of a child at his birthday party and came back with a tower of dusty boxes that made him sneeze as he opened each.

"Here..no..no..."

The third one when in Blaise's left had let out a gentle spray of sparks and Blaise grinned, without being prompting he tossed it to his right hand and chortled as the sparks just kept flowing for a second. "Hi.." he said lovingly to the wand in his hand and Olivander clapped and even did a tiny few dance steps. Apparently the harder it was the happier he became.

" Eleven and three quarters of an inch hawthorn, with heartstring from the same dragon as your mothers." Blaise's eyes became wider and he beamed, pureblood decorum be damned at that. He whirled to his mother and grinned, thrilled to see watery eyes and as she clapped in delight, cooing at him in Italian.

Harry smiled then as Olivander turned to him. "Well Mr.?..."

"Hadrian..Trickster."

"Trickster?"

Hadrian just grinned.

"Well.." Olivander smirked then with a shake of his head, getting his measuring tape to start. "Shall we see if you live up to that name?"

After several windows exploded, an entire shelf of wands lit on fire, the ceiling almost collapsed and Olivander's ear hairs had turned to wild flowers, Hadrian was surrounded by boxes and Blaise and Eleonora had taken a seat in a pair of chairs she had conjured, enjoying the show. Blaise had a theory that since his own wand had ended up being very much like his mothers, that it would be harder to match Hadrian. Perhaps because they had trained on their mother's wands.

Finally though a wand sent off sparks, and like Blaise as he shifted it to his off hand it continued. Olivander gave Hadrian a curious look, he had already tried a holly wand earlier that had surprised him when it had not worked. There were a number of plans and a rumored prophecy that were going to be affected by this lack of being chosen. Perhaps though, knowing what he suspected the family in his shop did not, that was for the best.

"Well..this was a wand from when I was first traveling for materials. It's not a common wood, it's known as Madrone and is so special to the local magical community I could only harvest that which had fallen naturally. It's an unusual tree in it has a reddish orange bark that 'peels away' leaving a silvery green hue beneath. Perhaps it has something to say about your own personality? Of course it was treated so it's now more of a brownish color but on the live tree, the difference in colors is rather striking. It has a phoenix feather core, and precisely eleven and three quarters of an inch like your friends." After Blaise's dragon story, Hadrian had the feeling Olivander could tell more about his wand and well, why not?

"Was there anything that set my phoenix apart?"

Olivander got a cheery grin. "It was the tiniest runt of a bird I'd ever seen in full plumage."

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Wordcount 10644 not counting authors note. 40k to go minimum...


	2. Chapter 2

Hadrian Trickster Part TWO!

This is my NanoWriMo entry. I reserve the right to abuse mythology and history in this AU to my own means. Don't own Harry Potter. Do not make any attempts at grammar or spelling. That would render this work rather then just getting an idea out in a frenzied writing game. Not Slash, wrong boy who lived, Neutral Harry. Blaise friendship. AU, creatures and crazy mothers beware!

I swap from Harry to Hadrian and intermingle the two for a while until he fully transitions in my mind to Hadrian. Again, writing fast I don't always catch switches. Hey I'm determined to hit or pass 50k words this month! And that is just on this story. I already did over 12k for Darkness behind green eyes, I am hoping to see this story out to it's end before Christmas and then start wrapping up all the others. Wish me luck!

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In the apothecary four sets of the potions kits were already wrapped and set off to the side as Ambra kept poking around. She knew what the boys needed and she also was looking for anything she wanted to experiment with. Luckily for her, anyone with magic no matter how pathetic the amount could do potions. Really just being magical even without magic one could do potions, it would just be far harder for a squib to manage the flames. Why more of them didn't get into it eluded Ambra. She was easily distracted of course, especially by her own thoughts, but it didn't mean she wasn't good at potions. After all she'd had well over a century and a half with the current potions standards to practice she had better be good after that point. She was by no means a master at it, but then her choices of what was a necessary potion..well she -was- a trickster. Not to mention a mother these days, healing took precedence especially copious amounts of headache potions. And no, she had no issue using many of those less savory potions on muggles. If you didn't use much then administering them could be just fine as long as they were the same ones you'd use on say children. Muggles didn't have the magic for the potions to interact with but usually children's cores were so vulnerable that the potions weren't meant to affect their magic. And there was nothing as easy to distract a muggle as slipping them something that they didn't recognize. Also, potion flavorings were not that hard to work with. Again, you just had to look outside the norm and see all the lovely chemical concoctions muggles made to camouflage medicine tastes. She had yet to figure out how to make Veritaserum properly, and the serum's humorously enough with the precise same name just without the bastard Latin in it, made by muggles tended to get rather dangerous. Explosions though, things to change the colors or scents, really simple basic -old- recipes that no one bothered with since her grandparent's time from her maternal side. Back before the wizarding world went into hiding and they'd found obliviates (which as far as Ambra thought were really along the lines of unforgiveables. You did -not- mess with someone's mind!) and repelling wards. Easier, more consistent then potions to try and hide evidence. Unless of course, you were a crazy Trickster who happened to deal in both worlds and then well every advantage! She could not wait until Blaise and Hadrian could help brew the ones she used the most. Especially to fool the noses of dogs. Damned things sadly could always tell she wasn't human. Her parent had warned her that of all the legends of his kind, the old adage of the 'Fox Wife' tale was unerringly accurate. A dog would find her out. Being a third human helped, but only so much. Luckily one of the less then popular in it's day methods to handle werewolves was a potion that couldn't be scented by humans but hid their scent to be more like the dirt and plants nearby that would be added to the potion so you matched the region better. Useful, before apparating was a common method of travel and there weren't yet Floo's. Oh sure things were invented and used but it was like saying there were planes in the muggle world. Just because you could get on them and go somewhere didn't make it cheap or easy. Cars were far preferred. So the old potion to hide from things that would smell you before seeing you as you walked from one village to the next, especially in France as they'd had wretched luck with a beast problem eating people. It was a fine potion but useless now and thrown out along with the potion that had been used to make the veins more obvious back when leeching was still considered a good medical practice. For a trickster though, it meant safety. Werewolves, dogs, annoying familiars, couldn't smell her! In a completely time honored fashion on both her parent and father's side, Ambra had to resist taunting them when she passed by. The urge to stick out her tongue or flick a tail and take off in mockery... oh right. Potions.

Humming as she looked over several delicate acid green threads from crystallized bile from some unusual bird in the tropics, Ambra's eyes saw through the gaps in the jars across the way and froze. She blamed her surprise on the fact that her nose simply could not make out scents beyond the things inside the store, but though not looking at her there was a pair of green eyes she knew perfectly looking near her.

Well almost perfectly, they were not exact.

No. for one the shape was slightly different, and the eyes were more gray then bright green. Still..following her instincts Ambra set the bile down and maneuvered so her back was to the person with her son's eyes as she went down the next aisle. When she was close enough to scent without being obvious she darted her tongue out to flicker along her finger, before ever so slightly running it along the end of her nose when exchanging one ingredient for another to peruse. It wasn't a well known thing, but part of what made the nose of a canine so much better was the evaporation effect that could be mimicked this way even when human. The scent that hit her was about three times as strong and she sighed, wiping the saliva back off with the inner wrist.

There was no doubting it though it made her hackles raise in alarm.

Why was someone who smelled so alike to her son did after a bath, before her own scent rubbed off on him, there? It was so close and with those eyes..she had a suspicion. One proven as she kept moving and was nearly bumped into by a child with messy black hair that ran towards the woman. That scent was even more like her son.

Ambra bit her tongue to keep from growling, though in this case it was a warning sound that wanted to emerge. She wasn't going to give up her son, not even to ones that smelled like his family. Deciding to take her paid for packages and get out of there, Ambra darted over to the wand shop to wait. She didn't need to wait long, as her ears may have been human but her hearing wasn't. There were sudden whispers all about.

"Hey, isn't that the Potters? Yeah! And look it's their son.. they boy who lived!"

Multi-hued eyes narrowed before she glanced inside the wand shop seeing Blaise was being fitted and Harry didn't have a wand yet by his expression watching the events told her all she needed to know. They would be at least another half hour or longer. Casting a swift glamour that made it seem like she was wearing a hooded cloak, had gained about half her body weight and was male 'thanks dad for teaching me this one rather then really changing gender all the time' she thought with a grin as that shifting was hard for her.

At least after her first few years of gaining and losing various parts when changing genders she had lost that discomfort that came with different balance and strides as things needed to be taken into consideration when walking. With that, Ambra swept into the seedy Knockturn Alley to look for the most ragged hag she could find. Creatures tended to help each other out and though Ambra wasn't the sort to go feasting on hearts and souls for a quick power jolt, she could behave like one of those if need be. With a rolling swagger to her walk she hissed back at a hag who cackled at her. The hag, straggly in hair and with gruesome eyes and missing teeth snarled then, fingers twisting as if ripping sinews apart to make rope to repair her torn garments. Ambra as a male stomped a foot then pulled back her lips, letting the bit of true shape changing take over and her fangs showed, her nails vanished into black claws though they were not sharp, they were the dull of her other form they still showed what she was. Not human.

The fangs showed a predator, though one that would scavenge. Here that was more an advantage, the scavengers were only shunned by humans and wizards, those who thought more of the beasts that hunted down others even though most would turn scavenger if given a chance. To the other beasts though, those of the moment and the chance, the risk of death no less fearsome in stealing another's catch then bringing it down, of eluding something bigger and stronger then you could be to take of what you couldn't have otherwise. No, here in the bowels of society much as in the wilds, scavengers were not looked down on. They were the ones the predators watched; for it was a scavenger that would take out a bigger predator if it saw a chance.

The hag gargled in her throat and then Ambra, still seeming a man, snapped out a bark. It would have seemed like two drunks out of their minds, but they were assessing, assuring with more then one signal that the other was _other_ that they were _dangerous_. Perhaps a nonhuman or one who was truly docile and under some potion to pretend to be something else could learn or fake a signal or two, but not so many and taken out of context. They would do this exchange until both were satisfied. Because while predators and scavengers would never trust each other, even scavengers knew that in numbers they could take much more. Scavenger non-humans, so far from their animal kindred and so much further from the humans, were a breed apart. To an extent you could not learn only -be- one of them. Thus no matter how much races hated each other, they would always band together against those they saw as foes. The hag settled into a glare before snorting and scratching under her sagging breasts pleased to see so many signals understood and returned. It wasn't aggression, as a predator would have seen it but a sort of tense agreement. Like an honor amongst thieves meant more to them than it ever had to the humans who stole the phrase.

"Want to buy a dead rat?" The hag finally said, offering information or goods for a price. Ambra smirked, his eyes glinting yellow as he nodded.

"Fresh or decayed doesn't really matter.." Ambra replied, even her voice altered by her illusion to come out rough and yet pleasant. It was the rasping of an old man's vocal cords starting to loosen but still with a timbre that would not be out of place in a place far more genteel then one of knockturn's piss ridden alleys. When the hag nodded he continued. "Tell me of the.. Potters."

The hag warbled at that, then spit off to the side. So she knew and would tell but didn't see it worth value. Ambra snapped her fangs again, a warning, and translated to that he had money and could pay if found worthy enough information.

The payment wouldn't really be in coin though. Coin was mere turnips given imaginary value. It would pass over of course, as a superstition mostly.

"The Potters are light through and through, may as well have a lumos shoved up their back hole. Wife's a muggleborn know it all with a temper, used to have high grades, going somewhere they said! Ha! She got a taste of living well, living with respect..she don't go no where but to her husband's bedroom now like so many." Ambra just listened. It wasn't as if women couldn't achieve high positions, they had even been Minister of Magic a number of times and even the American's couldn't claim to have elevated a woman to that highest of offices. However, it was much harder to do so. Especially since the magical war not that long back that Ambra had been content to stay out of England for, had resulted in a baby boom. It wasn't as if there was magical equivalent of daycare. That many kids and accidental magic made it a sheer impossibility.

"You know who..He went after them. Tried to kill them off..the parents were out, had polyjuiced a couple of friends to look like them.. trapped the bastard!" The Hag hissed shrilly, it would likely have surprised most on the light side to learn that Voldemort had been unpopular with the dark creatures. The truth was the dark creatures knew Voldemort was full of pretty lies, so it was only those who decided killing wizards was better then nothing that had sided in the past. The clever ones stayed away. "He was trapped..cast the killing curse at their child..and something they'd done backfired. Next thing you know they're wealthier then ever..Potter name had gotten hit bad when the manor went down hill and all that was in it burned..but now, the little whelps spoiled. Always in the limelight, always preening. His father's no better, the seed has been ruined now..." The hag spit again, it was well known that James had been considered a failure to his family. Having been had so late though no one held it against his already elderly parents. "The mother..she's all right. Maybe it takes all them brains she should have once had to try and keep up with the two..she's quiet though..got eyes like Mine..."

Ambra understood that too, and it made sense. The hag's had lost their children when alive and twisted magics and desires once upon a time had brought them to what they were now trying to bring their children back. Lily had eyes like a mother that had lost her child. Harry once was a Potter... "Just the one whelp?" Ambra hissed back, though he slid over several knuts.

"The other boy died." The hag snatched the coins greedily for all it was a symbolic exchange, a bit of folk belief between dark creatures. It was fairly well known hags would give any information to hurt those they hated no matter how trivial, and they hated mothers who still had their children safe most of all. Only thing worse to a Hag, and something that when found out had caused many a stir in muggle lands, was if a hag learned of someone abusing a child. The very concept of _not wanting a child_ to a Hag was utterly beyond understanding. To them the parents or guardians who damaged such treasures the hag themselves had lost..well, they'd caused a number of serial killer beliefs. Sadly, to Ambra's thoughts, they didn't learn about them often enough to really change things. The hag fled over the wall with a flutter of rags and bony limbs, like a spider stretched too far from it's abdomen taking much of the alley's stench with it.

Ambra frowned but began to leave the alley having a place to start looking with Ele later. So, they thought Harry dead...or had he been? It didn't matter, what did was finding out the truth so that Hadrian Trickster could hide in plain sight. No matter who he had been, he was her son now.

In this, the hag and Ambra were in perfect accordance. No one was touching Trickster's kid. Licking her lips, back to being female an herself though her hood was up, and out of the alley Ambra thought carefully. She wanted to do some more exploring, properly, with Eleonora but that nagging sense from her father's blood was yipping in her thoughts. Not for the first time Ambra sighed and wished the abilities of her father's people ran true in her..before she took out a lovely bit of blue delicate paper. With just a few expert folds she had a tiny origami dragonfly and a bite of her finger to draw blood, then left both spit and blood down the form. She added a strand of her hair that dangled like a kite string tied around the paper and then blew on it, whispering as she cupped the tiny bit of paper in her hands. Then opening them, the little form buzzed away, looking to everyone else like a real tiny blue dragonfly that went unerringly to Eleonora. Knowing her bastardized version of a shikigami magic would reach it's target without fail or alert her otherwise, Ambra whirled and with her garments flowing about her moved to Gringott's.

Not through the usual opening though. She did wonder if the wizards were even aware there was a smaller entrance just to the side that was open for creatures. It wasn't used so often, at least not in wizarding Britain, but every branch of Gringott's had it. There was a catch though, whereas outside of these doors or if she went through the normal lobby, Ambra's creature blood would be ignored in favor of her witch heritage, in here it was reverse. Goblin's did not like humans, and held wizards and witches rather high in contempt. And so, here in the cool darker (most creatures that bothered coming had low light vision) lobby of Gringott's, Ambra took a form that was almost never seen as it was very uncomfortable since it was her mind that altered along with her body. Only in the older tales, and annals of legends were things like her most 'natural' form seen. One that she had only gained when two tails had been obtained. Her body twisted with the tolerance of one long used to the shifting of skin and muscle and bone so that from one delicate human stride with the sway of a woman's hips..into a tiny softer pattering that had her all but leaping out of her shoes. They would wait for her by the door. There was a hiss of fur dragging along the marble floor as her cloak and skirt fluttered, shifting to pass over the now protruding six tails that she let trail behind her. Her form had twisted to a blend of her beast heritage and human. Only in the drawings of her parent's people though heavily stylized they had been, had she seen the foxes that would walk on two legs and managed to balance. It was not, the fantasy work of teenagers and television that she had seen emerge. There was no curving hips and waist, no bust or hair or human eyes. The only concession was the shape of her muzzle was a bit smaller, the palette and tongue inside able to form words though carefully as that which required the pressing together of lips or O sounds would come out more as her howling and yip sounds. It had taken ages to learn to talk properly like this and her parent had far too much fun teaching her. The Trickster always had her garments spelled so that they would expand to handle the haunches and odd shape of her ribs now, compared to before. Her ears swiveled, and whiskers quivered as she padded forward though she could just as easily have gone on all fours, it was a sign of her strength after she gained a second tail to be able to walk on two legs. To do otherwise, was to confess a weakness. And she had six tails thank you!

Business in Gringott's was easier when you were non-humans. Snaps and growls and little talking happened, most the language was in the body and here as unlike above, the gobbledegook which had been half invented to throw the humans off the track of what was important, was ignored. Teeth and breath, shuffling and movement of ears -and yes goblin ears were able to move just as well as a cat- told plenty. If they needed to speak they'd use one of a number of languages but all in the oldest forms. As if to mock the 'dying' Latin that the wizards were so fond of using incorrectly they would often employ it in it's purest forms. For those who had once been human.

It was not by accident that Eleonora had learned ancient Sumerian. A warrior race for all that they now fought most battles with numbers once they had begun to leave their prime, the Goblin's saw the ancient warrior cultures of even the humans with great respect. Before weapons and spells made things different, back when it was a skill, an inexplicable grace and hours of training to be a weapon more then to wield them. When metals were softer and not always so reliable. It didn't take long for her impatience and the swish of the tails betraying that the Trickster was on a hunt to bring a goblin to gesture towards an alcove. Trickster was known to them. In fact they were rather fond of her having adopted a child if only because it kept Ambra from being out finding her own buyers of information and the things she got into and took with her, they got to play the middle man. Being a mother meant they received a much larger amount of coin for her business then before she took Harry into her life.

Another difference in the way things were done for the non-humans..they used alcoves instead of offices. Most creatures reacted badly to being in a small enclosed space, and so instead these open segments of the wall were covered in glowing runes that would silence and block the view of those inside. Instead of chairs there were usually long plush benches. Easy to crouch or sit on, as Trickster did at that moment. She sat as any of her father's kind would have, tails too numerous to curl around her so she fanned them out, keeping them slightly raised to twitch and move at will. It was like a peacock fanning his feathers out for attention, she did the same because the goblins knew what the tails meant. They after all, were fully aware of her mixed blood and were _kind_ enough to ignore the human portion. She had longer legs then a true fox would, thanks to her sire, and her ears were a bit larger but otherwise if not for the markings you may not know better.

Especially since her coloring had begun to move towards the golden hue that was her apex some day far in the future, the tawny brown and grays of her sire mellowed her coat and made her seem even further along that path, an illusion of strength she was hardly against.

"I want to know about the Potters." It of course, came out slow and stilted, as she had not the use of a rounded jaw and lips. It was much like trying to talk without doing more then opening and closing your mouth like a child mimicking an alligator. Understandable but definitely a reason why usually trickster spirits of all lands preferred -not- talking much.

"We expected as much." There was a snarl, a twitch of the right hand and Trickster lowered her head, ears flickering back. The goblin's were...furious.

Interesting.

Not good, but curiosity made the fox bite. Intelligence made the coyote trick the rabbit into it's jaws.

"You know I have no dealings these days with Britain. What then of them not being dead and decaying, rotting beneath the soil to feed the maggots?"

The goblin gave a toothy fierce grin. Predator to scavenger. There were some codes of honor both agreed to. "The wizards have a pathetic flowering tale full of much ego. The simple is they were attacked and had laid a trap. One of the disguised aurors died, another vanished presumably incinerated..it was a theme that night. The potters had twins..one vanished, one was little more then a scorch mark and ash much like the former dark lord. Because he was not..a pile of ashes..and had a mark on his body...easily explained away from the fact the room had been nearly destroyed on one side and doubtless plenty of debris, they credited the remaining brat with doing some impossible feat of magic. Before any accidental magic had ever been done."

"Excrement."

The goblin laughed at the haughty expression and the pawing of the plush lounge that the Trickster had done, blunted nails doing no harm to the sturdy weave for all it made a satisfying noise. It may have even been taking the chance of her curse to finally able to get a laugh out without being attacked or in trouble for the fact that seeing a fox in a dress and cloak, and even jewelry sitting there like some unfortunate dog dressed up by it's owner ...well it was amusing. "Wizards and witches have no logic. Supposedly.." the goblin gave a glance and one ear twitched, so this was unprovable but good information. "in papers filed to cancel outgoing mail when it was discovered that the supposedly dead child did not show up in our records as being deceased, it was found to be mindlessly laying in the middle of a park. It was barely over a year, it didn't have much of a mind. Wizards. So they dubbed it 'damaged' and a squib and it was placed with a relative and a small stipend sent to help support it's needs. Taken from the trust vault set up, not mind you nearly the value of most and yet the Potters while well enough off are not supremely wealthy. The trust vault is only about one hundred galleons a year."

Trickster paused, thinking rapidly and without words as ideas were abandoned almost before they'd even formed. The critical _and highly illegal_ information about how much Harry would have in his vault if they dared to claim it and then have it traceable as to why...was not worth it. The goblin was basically telling her that for whatever reason, and likely it wasn't the parents who had arranged for Harry to go to the Dursley's, oh it was very complex.

Lifting her eyes which had almost a glow about them, Trickster lowered her tails, her front paws together side by side as she sat up perfectly straight, her chin slightly elevated and ears forward. Every bit a powerful dressed up beast at that moment. "Harry Potter is unknown to me. My boy is Hadrian Trickster."

The goblin's wide toothy grin spread at the numerous things implied with that statement. Also, it meant that the goblin's wouldn't have to pay out the small trust vault and could invest that without worry of it being claimed. It also meant that she wouldn't be pawing off her boy onto his blood family, which goblin's disliked the idea of a loss of profit but more they felt strongly that any non-human who could raise a child did a better job then a mere witch or wizard home could. It also, in her claiming him as her boy, not a kit or cub as either term was fine for the races the trickster was part of, meant that at some point the wizarding blood that ran through the once Harry Potter would be tempered with the rush of creature heritage. That was an exciting thing. When she'd originally claimed Eleonora as her bond sister in magic Eleonora had been stunned to see the change in the way she was treated by the goblins. The wizarding world only _thought_ they were being condescending to the goblins, they had no idea that they were being treated like pathetic children not worthy of ones full attention. Too spoiled to deal with. The Dudley and Vernon Dursley's of the world as it were.

"Hadrian will require a vault for school." Trickster continued, and to show her utter nonchalance at her declaration _which really was also one of war to come on the Potter's for whatever reason they had not claimed what was once their son,_ she lifted a hind paw to scratch properly at her right ear, head slightly forward. The Goblin kept from snickering when he saw the lacey underskirt the Trickster wore from that. Still, that form would have been much harder to mover right in with breeches. "I have his savings vault already for when he is grown...set up a smaller one, a withdrawal vault of twenty galleons per school session. Refreshed at Summer and Winter Solstice. Any excess at the end of the time is to be diverted to his savings vault. I grant permission for it to be invested aggressively as you do my 'acquirement' vault." Trickster smirked, a very obvious twitch of her whiskers at the Goblin's hurried scratching of the agreement. She had after all, just given him permission to handle a vault that would become increasingly substantial and was the first time the Trickster had opened one on British soil that wasn't the vault of earnings from her many dealings. It was guaranteed to go somewhere and if nothing else allow the goblin to be a liaison with the Italian branch. She wasn't done though. There were few ways to gain goblin loyalty, she already was in a sense a working partner for them, and when Hadrian went to school it would only pick up more again. More then it had in the past five years. She was also non-human for the most part. The other way? Make money for the goblin.

"If you manage to increase the revenue of the vault above account standard, half of that excess is to be given as a bonus." The Goblin actually made a mistake on his parchment. Good. Now half of whatever more then normal he made Hadrian would go to him he'd be practically crazy and focused. No matter it wasn't a large account it would make him far more then almost any of the others.

"Also set up a vault for me here, transfer a quarter of my savings from my main vault from the Italian branch. Same rules. Mind though you will be competing on that one with my general finance manager in Italy. Whoever earns more then the other usually gets an additional 'gift' that I find." Trickster smirked, having made this gambit carefully enough. She'd scented the old ink on the goblin's skin and recognized the pendant he kept hidden under his jacket. She knew enough of the official insignia to know this was one of the director's apprentices. Not that she was giving him a hint of that information. "Block and redirect any information that is going to the person my son is not. Any significant information you come across I want sent to me. Even if it is just rumor and hearsay." Trickster yawned then, stretching her jaw muscles. They were _not _meant for human speech!

"I will be certain to send you any further questions." With that after a pause where Trickster gingerly stepped down, and yes that required all fours so the goblin pretended not to see, the two simply left. Another nice part about being non-humans. No frippery. Though she did not like a lot of what she had learned...Ambra's mind put together the pieces as she slipped her shoes back on, human once more and her mind moving back into a more human thought process. It seemed to her, that a missing auror and a missing child was far too much a coincidence..pile of ash or not. Eleonora was going to have fun working the rumor mills.

And Hadrian, oh Hadrian would be livid. Eleonora and her had trained him well after all. The Potters would suffer in time for being so careless with their own blood.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Eleonora Zabini was doing her best not to show her absolute desire to fall down in giggles at Hadrian's put out expression but it was terribly difficult. She understood his questioning the wand maker of course, as he always described the ingredients to his creations in such a way as to give the impression there was ever so much to the various creatures. The memory of the almost fond teasing from Olivander to poor Hadrian when he mentioned the 'runt phoenix' and Hadrian's expression as he waited for why that was such a special bird...was definitely one for the pensieves. Oh indeed, he'd looked at the wand maker, all but impatiently voicing the expectation to hear it was a strong creature or 'particularly crafty' as the dragon she and now Blaise had a heartstring from. Instead, looking as smug as Eleonora could recall the crafter being, the old wandmaker had simply sighed and then grinned.

"Mr. Trickster, surely you _are_ aware that phoenix's are very magical and rare creatures and having a tail feather from them in no way is determined by the creature. You expected me to tell you it was some rare unheard of or almost unseen form of phoenix or some such nonsense? It was a phoenix, Mr. Trickster. A creature with a song that terrifies the evil and soothes the hearts of the good, that has power to heal almost every wound with a few delicate tears and that can carry far more then it's own weight in flight. It is a magical being that few ever see in the wild. I need not know much more then that to craft a wand from the tail feathers, Mr. Trickster. I do not have to go to the reserves and meet the creatures that are going to be put down or met with an accident at the claws of the other as I do with the dragons, for to get the heartstrings they must be dead. No Mr. Trickster, this is no even more fantastical beast written about in silly children's fable books that some enterprising soul made up to sell a story. Seeing a young, thus a smaller phoenix is highly uncommon and yours was indeed young. It also though means -nothing- to your wand core. The only feathers that have some rediculous implications are I had made a pair of wands with feather's from the same phoenix, who rarely sheds them as he is captive. Willingly bound mind you, but in the wild they tend to have much more spectacular battles and burning days and the feathers are far more numerous. It is just finding them intact and not damaged that becomes a challenge. Your phoenix Mr. Trickster, was just a young runt but nothing especially mysterious about it. I invite you to come up with your own ideas.." here Olivander lowered his spectacles, giving Hadrian an amused look. "But do try to keep from making them fact."

Hadrian spluttered, red cheeked and clearly not understanding why he had such explanations for the dragons still and so Olivander smiled softly. "The dragon heartstrings come with respective papers, I do not do more then go to harvest them. The papers showing they were obtained legally from a reserve or an accident describe the dragons personality, appearance, and history if they were from a reserve. I simply remember these details from the paperwork."

Appeased, Hadrian had thanked Olivander as Eleonora paid him for the wands, and a little extra with her voice murmering softly while the boys talked. "As thanks for the lesson, I know you loathe to share secrets that lessen your mystique Garrick, but truly that was a marvelous thing to teach them. I will make sure my boys do not go spreading the story."

Garrick smiled at her, pleased, but pressed Elenora's hand gently as she passed over the coins. "The wands I mentioned..one was held by you-know-who.." His silver moon eyes gazed at the dark eyes of the beautiful woman he had the pleasure of calling friend, and whom once dated his son in their days of Hogwarts. "Be careful with them, Ele." there was such a soft insistant warning to his voice that the Black Widow of Italy, the renowed composure of the beauty softened and she pulled him into a hug.

"Garrick please, come this weekend when you close shop. A good proper meal with flavor, not your bland British fare, and truly marvelous wine from our vineyards?...it has been too long."

Garrick smiled and nodded, his faint trembling from where he was holding her hands, concerned, easing. "The weekend will be terribly busy..I imagine I could use quite the respite. I may close early.."

"Even if it is midnight you are welcome!" Eleonora insisted, feeling guilt for having been away so long. In truth it was not easy to see her once potential father in law so upset, and so much more isolated. She smiled then, knowing that one way or another she would be remembering to drag the wandcrafter out more often. He deserved to not just be in his shop forgotten and alone.

"Thank you, Ele.." Garrick said, his voice tired and his eyes moist before he cleared his throat, going to start putting the wands away by hand. Smiling fondly Eleonora shooed the boys out, only to catch in her hands the little blue dragonfly note. It had apparently been hovering by the door, unable to get in. Recognizing the peculiar paper magic from Ambra, Eleonora held it and whispered the passcode she had created with Ambra as a little bossy six year old girl. With a whisper of nonsense sounds the dragonfly buzzed softly, before Ambra's voice all but hissed out the ancient Sumerian. Eleonora frowned at the message, but wasn't surprised. Olivander had hinted something was amiss. Now though, Eleonora was faced with a very hard decision. In the end, looking down at the boys made it for her. Hadrian and Blaise deserved to know of this latest revelation, not have it thrust upon them.

"I think a bit of lunch, your Madre is finishing some business with the goblins, Hadrian, but will meet us." The advantage of being so closely bound magic wise to the trickster was that she could return a message, usually the paper would shred itself so as to not be tracked. Plucking one of her own hairs to tie around the dragonfly she tapped it once with her wand. "Lunch at the usual, in London." With another whisper of her password, off went the dragonfly to find Ambra. Calmly, glad the boys were still in the afterglow of finding their wands, Eleonora apparated them to a lovely restaurant that served Indian food in the proper traditional fashion. It was one of the places rather like the Leaky that happened to be charmed to keep muggles away, with an apparition point in the back alley practically painted with muggle wards. After ordering enough food to feed two growing boys and have plenty for takeaway, Eleonora relaxed into a cup of tea. It was nice that the boys could so easily discuss what came next, chattering away between bites.

Eleonora looked up, tucking her black hair behind an ear as Ambra came over. It was a relief to see that while agitated, the trickster spirit was not in a panic. Gringott's had clearly been productive. Without a word she slid over some of the spicy soup and naan bread to appease the hungry woman. There was a fey look to her that showed she'd been in that odd form of hers, and would be ravenous. Only after some food actually filled up the boys hollow legs as they always joked, with how much they could put away, did the two young wizards pause. It was easy for them to figure out both their mothers seemed ill at ease, but Hadrian frowned, then reached over to pat Ambra's hand.

"Madre? Are you okay?" Hadrian's green eyes were only more confused as Ambra slid over to sit beside him on the bench. Eleonora had already discreetly cast a slew of privacy spells. It was one of the reasons Signora Zabini loved this restaurant, they would give you privacy and a great deal of time. If you needed something without removing your spells you could gesture and they would not take offense. Of course, they were always heavily tipped afterwards. Good service was hard work and Signora Zabini greatly admired those who did so.

"I .." Ambra closed her eyes, nuzzling the top of Hadrian's hair. "Hear me out Hadrian, I'm going to rip off the bandage so to speak..." Clearing her throat then as there was just no good way to put this she looked into his green eyes.

"your parents, and twin, are alive."

Hadrian blinked at her several times. He somewhat recognized the sound of the two Zabini's dropping their cutlery but all he could hear was the rush of his heart and a sharp stabbing pain. Not in his heart, no for he had never desired his true parents after his first year in Italy and he would _never_ want to trade away his Zia and brother, or his Madre. No, this sensation was lower. In his belly, a feeling of being sick and cold and he took in and let out a very deep breath, having fully expanded his diaphragm. There were options, flying through his mind rapidly and Hadrian was just thankful his Madre was letting him compose himself before continuing. In the end though he made a split decision. They may biologically be his family, but even if it turned out they had wanted him and searched without cease, he would never go back. Instead he licked his lips and then made a decision as he met his Madre's eyes.

"My _parent, _my _Zia, _and my brother are _very_ well. Thank you. But, Madre perhaps you forget I am Hadrian Trickster." He kept his shoulders back, making sure there was no doubt how serious he was. He may have been eleven but he knew his own mind and heart. Magic had gifted him a family that was exactly as he had wished all those years ago. Hadrian was where he _belonged_ and no human moment on his Madre's part was going to let him allow her to think otherwise. Instead he saw relief as she relayed briefly that the Potter's (thankfully there was no mentioning them as his family) had their little drama story. He was also smiling at the information that the vault was not worth keeping, not truly, he was certainly not one to trade his identity for a little pocket money! Under the table he grabbed Blaise's hand so no one could tease them, but he felt like he needed that assurance from his soul brother at that moment. Blaise was all too happy to provide, squeezing his fingers tightly.

"So we don't know the why, the how, or even the who and what.." Hadrian summed up, relieved and began to eat again. "Frankly..really, unless this somehow becomes a problem I say we completely ignore it. I don't care if what is his name anyways?..."

Blaise grinned. "You mean Charlus Leo Potter? That's a mouthful. Still if I remember my lessons..." he ignored his mother's look saying he had better. "Charlus was Jame's Potter's father, though he often went more by Charles. It's likely the son does the same. And Leo.." Blaise groaned and luckily the entire table, rolled their eyes and mumbled. "Gryffindors."

Hadrian nodded. "Right. Him. I don't care if he walks on water and can belch rainbows. Sounds to me like what got rid of he-who-had-the-hyphens-in-excess was this trap that they set. And what were kids doing involved in it? Idiocy. No thank you, I'm going to keep going about it as before, I don't know these people and I plan to if anything have fun freaking others out by mentioning why we don't know anything about the events. See if they all trust their precious Prophet knowing that overseas it's considered a lot of hogwash..." Hadrian groaned. "Oh man, I am never going to be able to say that now with our school. Really, who names something Hog Warts? Warts of a hog, ever so elegant.."

Hadrian true to his word, put it out of his mind. Oh he knew, and he could sense in that funny way when he was certain about Blaise's reactions, that it wasn't the end of it. He'd seethe and fume and be upset but that was later. What it boiled down to though was either the Potter's had no idea that Hadrian had been living with his horrendous mother's sister...or they hadn't cared. Neither one boded well for assuaging his ire. After finishing their food Hadrian assured his family a number of times that yes, he wanted to go back and finish shopping in Diagon Alley. They all meant well but Eleonora especially was insisting another day or even one of the other places in Europe would be fine. Blaise though, seemed to understand and lifted his chin, drawling out in the haughty tone he would be employing for their stay at Hogwarts.

"And let such mere peasants upset our preparations? You give them too much thought, mamma."

Hadrian's amused smirk had Zia Ele rolling her eyes and agreeing. The rest of the trip though went smoothly. There was a glimpse here and there of red hair, or a mutter of 'Potters' through the crowd. Thankfully though, there was not a run in. Despite all his assurances, Hadrian was not certain how he would take being thrust upon those he had a desire to avoid. He made a note though to have someone procure photos of the family so he would not be as startled as his Madre had been upon seeing his eyes elsewhere. Really the level of protectiveness from his Zia and Madre, to say nothing of the darkly thrumming presence of Blaise -who was being _very_ careful to hide from their mothers just how livid he was at this turn of events- constantly at Hadrian's side. The boy felt quite lucky and refused to allow thoughts of those who had lost him distract from the marvels of Diagon Alley. The bookstore had been amusing, and though both boys had a passing interest in Quidditch, it wasn't by much. Despite having needed glasses for much of his early years on one of their trips to Japan to visit elderly friends of his Madre's, Hadrian had gotten special lenses put on his eyes much like contacts. It wasn't as if he could see as well with glasses even as he should have been. The glasses were stationary, they did not expand and contract quite perfectly, and the areas the lenses did not extend to sometimes left him a bit nauseated depending on the movement. The nice thing was these magical lenses essentially molded to his natural ones, a bit more protective but they did not need to be taken in and out all the time, only checked up on every few years until he was done growing. Hopefully they would be rendered completely useless in just two years when his Madre would adopt him, as creature blood tended to fix many ailments of that nature. He'd probably lose some of his color vision but it was a small price.

It was when it came time for a familiar that things got, odd. Blaise had to steady him as Hadrian swayed, assualted not just by the sounds and the scents but by the yelling. Covering his ears he backed out, Blaise following him. Their mothers went to look about so they could help direct them to anything special while Hadrian whined under his breath about all the screaming.

"Hadrian..no one was screaming.." Blaise said softly.

Hadrian's eyes went rather wide and he gulped. "I'm hearing voices. I'm going to go as barmy as they say the headmaster is."

Blaise snickered and squeezed his shoulder, his voice pitched low as the darker boy switched to Italian. "Look, you probably just understand one of the types of animals. It's not common but not unheard of. You know mamma can talk to spiders which is part of her getting her name..I know my second cousin Lydia Lagormasino can talk to dogs..but only of the really tiny yappy breeds. Apparently the larger ones have too 'deep' an accent for her. It's more common in purebloods, for all we know you can understand something because of Zia Ambra, okay?"

Hadrian nodded, then took a deep breath. "Didn't know Zia Ele could talk to spiders.."

Blaise just got a sly grin. "In Africa where my father comes from a few generations back, one of the trickster spirits is a Spider in form..so I think mamma's natural affinity got switched to whatever would be along another trickster..it was part of what my sire found so appealing about mamma. Remind me to get out the old books from his things. When he learned mamma was bonded to a trickster and talked to spiders...well one of these days we'll get mamma to tell the story. I guess it was some courtship. But for now, my dear Hadrian, we are supposed to be getting pets!"

Suitably cowed Hadrian followed Blaise in, and they moved in the direction of where he heard the noise most. Looking down at the source of the worst of it Hadrian blinked, his mouth opening and closing as he failed to get out a word.

"Well." Blaise finally said, sounding a bit lost himself. "That's...really...rare.."

The two boys gulped looking at the small reptile exhibit, especially the single few snakes on sale to devour basic pests though harmless. "Um, I think we tell.._ow!_" Hadrian winced as Blaise elbowed him hard in the side and turned glaring. "What was that for!"

Blaise tried to hide his next words with a cough. "You were hissing."

Hadrian gulped, then grabbed his brother's hand and they moved towards the owls. "I think owl's, I don't want to use ones from the school..but can they handle such a long distance?"

"They are enchanted you know, Hadrian. We just have to get ones with extra charms put on them, mostly to give them extra energy as if they had food with them and keep them the right temperature and the like.."

Hadrian grinned. "Then we best get the biggest ones we can..so they have a chance to fight off Madre.."

Blaise groaned at the idea. "Maybe charm it to be really strong..."

"Is there a problem boys?" Asked the shopkeeper. He was portly, but with one of those crazy long mustache's that had been twirled into curls and looked overjoyed to be playing with animals. He was also, massive. His arms looked like he could toss tree trunks like toothpicks. What made Hadrian and Blaise answer though, was that he had a bashful smile and his brown eyes danced over the shop, clearly bursting with affection. It reminded him of tales Zia Ele had told of the groundskeeper Hagrid. A giant oaf but with a heart of gold who loved everything that creeped, slithered, swam, and especially..bit.

"Yes sir, you see my family keeps hunting hounds.." Blaise started, and tried to ignore the sound of Hadrian repressing a choke of surprise. Ambra was going to kill them for that comment. "And I would love an owl but I'm afraid of it getting well..to stay alive."

"Ah! Keep them indoors at night and when it's cool do you? Good, all beasties do best with a bit of love and a warm spot to rest." The man twirled his mustache around a large fat finger that to his credit was freshly scrubbed. It was also apparently why the ends dangled in such long corkscrews if it was a habit. "Well, best thing to do is get a smart one. We can fit it with an anti predator charm. Any local post center can renew it every three months. It gives them a bit of a zap if they get too close. Not much, and it took ages to get it where it wouldn't harm any other owls. Just owl's mind you." The man winked. "Apparently the main breeders didn't like some people bringing other birds in to try and use for post. Not that it would have done them much good. Raven's maybe..big ruddy smart critters but they're independent and would peck the bindings holding a letter free no matter how bespelled it was..now, letseee..." He nodded then. "Aye, we can get you the charms put on a metal bracelet that goes around their legs. Works to identify them and if not cast on the feathered devils themselves lasts long enough to get you through from Yule to Ostara..you can pick up an extra for each of your owls and then those can be charmed and sent to you, you don't even have to take your friend in then."

Hadrian beamed at that, the idea of not having to arrange his travel plans..but then he sniggered, nudging Blaise. "So it shocks any predator that gets near gets a shock huh?..Sounds good for the 'hounds'.."

Blaise's eyes widened and he grinned, catching onto what Hadrian meant and nodded. "Does it always work or only if they have a letter."

"It's only sharp if they have a letter, but it will prickle at them to keep away most the time."

Hadrian grinned. Oh yes, that was going to be fun. And the best part was it would keep Ambra too focused on how to get the letters if Zia Ele wasn't around for her to think of snacking on his owl. "Well then Blaise, I think we had best choose.."

Blaise grinned and nodded, the owner took them to the owls, handing the boys each a leather glove to protect them in case an owl took a snap at their fingers. One by one he took the birds out gently, letting the boys inspect each, and the owl to inspect them. Blaise ended up with a rather common if pretty barn owl, it's heart shaped face holding a pair of gorgeous dark eyes that blinked at Blaise and tilted it's head, before it cooed. Blaise grinned. "Tiamo. Oh yes you are. Smaller too, so you are male, Si?"

Hadrian found himself suddenly with his arms full of a snowy owl who was beautifully banded and gave a soft _prek-prek_ before nibbling at his nose. "Um...hello..." Hadrian giggled as she happily walked up to his shoulder and began preening his hair. "Fearless isn't she?" He asked with a roll of his eyes, quite pleased. "I think I best look into famous warrior females later Blaise.."

"Well there's Boudicca, Hypolatia, Artemis, Diana, Sehkmet, Hedwig.."

"_Ow!"_ Hadrain rubbed his hair as his owl gave a sharp tug, before another more mewling _pyree_ sound and he sighed. "I think her ladyship demands Hedwig." Blaise blinked, Tiamo giving an amused hoot.

"I've never seen a bird look so smug."

()()()()()()()()()

The time until Hogwarts passed easily. The month breezed by in a whirlwind of studying their books ahead of time, especially potions with Ambra as she was able to explain the difference in preparations and then show which ones were left over from the old days and better knives could be used, and which ones had become short cuts but other methods would work better. The boys had fine blades from Japan as a gift from Ambra, of course like anything from a Trickster there was a price. They were taught a copy charm by Eleonora who then said for all assignments they were to make a copy and send it home so their mothers could peruse and judge not only how they were doing, but see where they needed tutors. It was far easier to just keep up with it. It was apparently, a Zabini tradition. They were also to send plenty of personal observations as a way to keep them sharp and from getting too at ease. Life after school, after all, was not given any time to transition. Especially where as in the magical world there was no real continued education outside of a formal apprentice ship. Since the boys would not be required to do more then send copies of their work home anyways and understood that it was expected for them to work hard, it didn't really bother them. Not when it was such an easy charm. There was another reason to it, one that was quite the elephant in the room.

Ambra had never, and could never, get a full formal education in magic. She liked to learn vicariously since the days of her tutoring were so far past and so far removed. Even if she couldn't perform most the spells she could at least learn the theory and it was easier to do so on a child's level. No one slighted her pride by bringing it up.

Their owls had been given perches in their room. Shortly after the second summer together, Hadrian and Blaise had always just ended up in one room or the other anyways and so Eleonora had offered to magically combine the two. She'd added the room to the three bedroom house after a few months of their staying, but Hadrian had already grown used to sharing with Blaise and preferred it. Eleonora didn't even ask why, for she had the same bond with Ambra and unless Ele intended to have a lover about, they preferred to just have two beds in a room and every night was a sleep over. It had also made it where the idea of a shared room wasn't shocking to the boys come their school year ahead. True to her invite, Olivander had become a frequent guest and Eleonora was delighted how well he got along with the boys.

Once he grasped the situation Olivander had brought old papers and photos he copied out of the Prophet archives. Made far easier since almost every year there was a commemorative re-release of all the old ones in a giant special edition. Hadrian had been quite pleased that really the only resemblance was how his hair had once been and his eyes. As his eyes were a much brighter shade, had been since his bonding to Blaise actually, and his hair had red hues to it from being outdoors..not to mention his darker skin. Eleonora had found a charm that was common enough among the society ladies who wanted a 'healthy color' that Hadrian could cast every week. Blaise would too, as it may have been meant to mimic the sun's effect cosmetically but it also gave a good dose of vitamin D and it would keep their spirit's up when winter hit. Having lost the glasses and with his hair kept almost short as Blaise's, there was no resemblance. Interestingly the shorter Hadrian's hair was the more it behaved. It was only when it got to a 'normal' length that the strands rebelled and couldn't quite lay properly and instead just went haywire. Perhaps in a bit of irony Hadrian's favorite thing was to gel the slightly longer top part so it spiked up messily. The sides and back though were only long enough to show that he wasn't bald. Hadrian had chosen this hair style because it made him look more like Blaise, and it also despite being messy, would not draw the eye to think this way his hair could be anything like the Potter's.

Blaise had grown his slightly to copy the style on top. Really if they had slightly different facial features and coloring, it could be explained away as parent differences. Perhaps they appeared more cousins then brothers, but even an amused Olivander had assured them that Hadrian no longer resembled his 'Unfortunate relations'. The term had gotten him beaming smiles from the entire group and Olivander had been most pleased about that. He'd also, to their surprise, been enthralled at finally meeting a creature who could wield a wand. Ambra had been subjected to a number of experiments and every time she tried to sneak out when the wand maker showed up in the floo with an excited idea, Eleonora would use a sticking charm on her sister. The idea was to see if it was possible to eventually make better wands for werewolves and the like, and the fact it was scholarly had Ambra resigned to being a guinea pig for years to come.

Not that she made it easy on him. Eleonora finally had started telling Olivander he had to catch Ambra every time she bolted. Somehow, to the bemusement of Blaise and Hadrian, it had apparently started a whole new game. Oh well. The adults needed some way to keep busy without them there all the time.

()()()()()()()()

Thankfully for all their quirks, both of their mothers were practical to a level that made one wonder if Eleonora's many military lovers in the past, on both sides of the magical fence so to speak, had rubbed off on her. Everything was packed, checked over, and then referenced the day before they would floo over to England. Eleonora was not going to deny her boys the chance to ride over. There were too many alliances to be made after all. So two days before the express would leave, they found themselves in a very nice home with a picture perfect garden and cottage in the countryside. It did not belong to Eleonora, though it may as well have. In fact it was one of the properties that belonged to a cousin several times removed who had since gotten too large of a family. Thus he rented it out to those who wanted a nice vacation or honeymoon or to stay in country for a few days before seeing international children off to Hogwarts. It was apparently quite common, though not brought up much in polite conversation. It wasn't precisely safe for people to know where you did or did not reside after all. They spent two days, essentially being lazy. There was no last minute information to swallow or training, or even reminders of people they would do well to know or avoid. It was all a wonderful break to relax the nerves of adults and children alike. Olivander had been thrilled to be invited over for a picnic meal and to forget work for a day. That meal stretched into the night and the next day, until Eleonora just rolled her eyes and informed Olivander he was going to keep them company until the boys left.

No one had complained.

Once Eleonora had gently told the boys that before she had married Blaise's father, she had been engaged to Olivander's son. That he died was told to them though not how, and Blaise had since taken to tentatively extending overtures as he would have to his own paternal grandfather if he'd had one. They had known of course, that Blaise was not from her first husband and that Eleonora's greatest love had died before she ever married. Now that they knew who it was, it made them open up a bit more to the crazy old man. As a result, Olivander had begun to relax in truth and slowly the wand talks faded and they found instead that back in his own youth Olivander had been a rather rakish adventurer. It was how he'd gained many of the ingredients he used and found the three he was so well known for as his principle items. True you could use plenty of other cores for wands but it helped as the crafter had an affinity for those three ingredients most. Olivander was not going to go to the express with the boys, but much to Hadrian's amusement, Blaise through a bit of a fit early that morning when he was too asleep to watch his tongue and pouted that he wanted his Grandpa to come.

A beaming Olivander had accepted.

The express was rather marvelous. Red and shiny and looking as if it had just been freshly plucked from the imagination of a toddler. Though they would be putting on their robes later, Blaise and Hadrian had purposefully dressed in matching complimentary hunter green dress shirts and chocolate brown pants. They both had waistcoats on that matched, and shoes. It was a cheeky nod to Hadrian's first glimpse of 'the brown lady' and Blaise had eagerly joined in. Besides it had been Blaise's insistance on the shirts being that shade of green. Not white, not brown, but green. It set off both their coloring marvelously and with Hadrian's hair reflecting the light to show the reddish tinge, he was resigned to the jokes inevitable to come about looking like a Yule tree. He had the green eyes, he practically lived with those jokes.

In contrast, Eleonora wore a slinky dress and robe in the deepest sapphire hues, with her gold jewelry. She looked as if she had been Ravenclaw, it was subtle misdirection and Ambra was in golden robes to her name. They were not metallic, rather warm and deep yellows with a faint sheen to them, making her hair sparkle and shimmer in the reflection. Her hair was pulled away from her face in some elaborate updo that Eleonora had forced on her, so that their hair matched even as their clothing did not. The subtle coloring contrasts between the skin and hair of the four was washed away easily, and only enhanced the appearance of all four being related. Much to Hadrian's amusement Olivander had shown up that morning in all gray, taken one look at the boys apparel, and changed his shirt to match theirs. It had gotten the older man a hug from the two children.

"Now.." Olivander helped the two put their trunks up early, using magic and then they walked over to sit on a bench, speaking softly. "A bit of advice..Keep silent and observe. The first few days everyone will be posturing no matter what house. The lions will be brash and bleating, the ravens cawing with their random information, the snakes will puff and preen and threaten, and the badgers will all nearly drop down trying to prove each more helpful and worthy. Don't sneer, you do not ever corner a badger as they are the most dangerous when provoked." Olivander winked then and the two boys laughed. Well someone wasn't shy over having been a puff.

"He has a point boys.." Eleonora spoke softly. "In every case each will bluster and puff up trying to scale a hierarchy that _is not important_. Not the first year. Not even the second. Your first concern is each other and your school work. Everything else comes along naturally. Let them tire themselves out with meaningless things..." Eleonora smirked then, a coy smile. _Come into my parlor.. _ "It is then when you have already a base proven of strength in your studies and loyalty to each other no matter which houses you two are in, that you strike and overtake. You are Zabini, you will both be as recognized as you wish. Though do remember there is a great deal of power in the shadows, in being little known.."

"It's always best to be underestimated." Ambra nodded. "Choose only three things to be absolutely rigid on. Your loyalty to each other, that is the _family_ and easily explained to any regardless of blood status or affiliation. Your drive to succeed with top marks without being consumed by them. The final..you two will have to decide." The Trickster's lips quirked as her eyes danced, she was setting them a challenge. "I will expect an answer to what, by the end of the year. No sooner. Otherwise you have not waited and paid attention."

Both boys grinned and then Blaise frowned softly. "We are coming home for Yule, yes?"

Olivander chuckled. "Oh I am afraid not, dear boys..you see, I have a home in Greece where my family originated that I never use...the house elves that have been with it generations keep it up mind you..I was hoping we could get you to some time there? Your mothers have already agreed so I suppose if you don't mind.."

Propriety be damned, Olivander was suddenly having to correct his balance as two happy young boys were hugging him tightly.

"Go on then.." Olivander coaxed them as the first whistle went off. They'd been ignoring anyone who came and went, it didn't matter. Olivander was beaming without a care in the world as the boys let go and nodded, both so serious looking as if trying to be five inches taller and five years older then they were. He remembered being that age.

Hugs and a kiss on each of their mother's cheeks, and then switching, Blaise and Hadrian were relieved there were no tears or embarrassing reminders. Ambra did lean down and whisper softly into Hadrian's ear, he could sense her power curling around him, in a way that only he seemed to be able to. Something perhaps from that wish so long ago. "You are stronger, better, more amazing. Never forget that you are a Trickster's son, and soon you will have the blood of one. Consider this a good testing phase. Look into your trunk, under your socks when you are alone tonight." With that Ambra nuzzled her nose against his and pulled back, leaving a grinning Hadrian.

Nothing like having your mom's blessing to cause hell.

"And remember, no matter what house, we will be proud of you." Eleonora admonished with a finger wave. Two cheeky grins met her before the boys went onto the train.

As if there was any doubt where those two were going.

()()()()()()()

Getting there! About the halfway point for Nanowrimo but nowhere near the end of this story. It will start to pick up now as I don't have to explain so much when the boys are at school!


	3. Chapter 3

Still going for Nanowrimo. I hope this chapter surprises people. It is shorter but I did it all tonight, and the ending just seemed to be a good spot to stop.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The train ride over had been pleasant. A mixture of people came and went, idle chatter. Most of it was centered around the younger-he-who-shall-be-hyphenated. You know, the one that didn't do anything instead of the one who went around trying to prove how impressive he was in a swath of death and destruction and really pathetic names. Compensating much? They had met a slew of children, the muggleborn were ones Hadrian spoke to and got a feel for, happy to poke his head in with the large grin of an excited child. It wasn't like they were just supposed to sit in one compartment the _entire_ time. Really that would be rather..antisocial. You had to have some real issues to do that. Instead Blaise went one way, Hadrian the other, and then met up, before swapping directions. Blaise handled the pure and half bloods mostly. Hadrian had taken the half bloods too, as he would be one if anyone asked. Always best to hide in truth, and there would be the assumption that Hadrian's absentee father was the muggleborn. All the better. All the more unlike reality. Though in truth when thirteen and able to get some creature nature from his Madre, it would only elevate his status amongst the prickliest of purebloods.

He'd met some amusing people, and more then a few with giant Ego's with a capital required. Much to Hadrian's amusement, people were already indeed doing as Olivander had predicted. They had not even had their houses designated yet and kids were molding themselves to what they pictured as the ideal for the house they felt they'd be in. Once back in their compartment and mercifully alone for a moment as the two girls who had joined them went to use the bathroom, Hadrian remarked on it.

"I agree. I wonder.." Blaise leaned back in thought. Eleonora had told them how they were sorted. Of course. Cute little tradition be blasted away, the Black Widow wanted her boys fully prepared. Not being nervous about the sorting no matter what bizzare tales reached them would only enhance their mystique after all.

Hadrian nodded, getting a feel of where Blaise's mind was going. Really they may as well have been twins with the way the magic bond worked. "Unconscious preparation, likely affects it a great deal."

"Well then the real question is, how much is preference, how much is a match, and how much is what skills you need to work on?"

Hadrian just smirked back at him. "Blaise if you go anywhere but Slytherin, it will be Ravenclaw."

Blaise stood to give a little formal bow, ignoring the motion of the express. "And you Hadrian.." He leaned back and eyed his brother in all but blood. Dusky skin rather then dark peeled back from white teeth to flash Blaise a smile. It was returned. "Slytherin, or, perchance Hufflepuff."

Hadrian tilted his head and gave it consideration. There was no doubting he _could_ be a Slytherin of course. It was more a matter of if he could behave the multitude of rules the Slytherins had for themselves. Again, Eleonora had briefed them. Before the introduction of Grandpa Olivander perhaps Hadrian would have sneered. However Olivander was clever, ambitious..yet it was his diligence and loyalty to those few he gathered close to his heart that was so impressive. Hadrian saw instantly where Blaise was leading.

"If it is a match, or preference I shall be in the snake pit. If it is what I _need_ I will be in Hufflepuff. I agree. Courage you and I both have aplenty, wisdom.." there was that wave of the hand he had learned from Zia Ele to express in one motion somehow the enormity of just how obvious such a thing was. _"_And how to study, to research, we both have. Drilled into us nonetheless. However, outside of the _family_ ...no. I do not have friends, not truly. Just those we spend time with when it suits us or at the gatherings, and now of course Nonnino Olivander..." Hadrian thought carefully. "Then again, it is a problem we all have isn't it?"

Blaise nodded. It was, they were a very close knit family. Even the cousins and second cousins and the like were allowed in but not too close. That risk limb but not life sort of thing. "I agree. I think knowing that Nonno Garrick.." Blaise grinned cheekily as well, he used the far more informal term for calling the wandmaker grandpa. "Was supposed to be _family_ in truth is why we bonded so fast. And he's sane."

"It's so rare."

Both boys paused, then smirked. What they really meant was that Olivander was male. It was nice to not be outnumbered by estrogen all the time.

"Still.." Blaise leaned back, stretching like an overfed cat, and smiled. "I do hope we get in the same house. I'd rather prefer to share a room with my brother, Si?"

"Si." Hadrian nodded, then quirked a brow. "Always nice to know the other has your back. Still...Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff..hide in plain sight.."

"From what, exactly would we be hiding away, my brother?" Blaise asked with an amused smile. Hadrian blinked, then allowed the blush and spread his hands conceding the point.

"Grazie. I tend to be a bit too attentive to the lessons I suppose.." Hadrian smiled then, a rare soft smile, one full of all the charm he normally kept at bay. "It will be nice to be just children. Very smart, handsome, talented and powerful children.." Hadrian smirked at Blaise's rich chuckle. "But children."

"Si!" Blaise then sighed and the talk turned far more idle as the girls rejoined them. Though they took note of names, house favoritism, and the like the boys did not make any friendly overtures. Most everyone after all, would not be of real interest. Not yet. The power players would be obvious in time.

It was as they were waiting for the names to be called, and though moved by the sight of Hogwart's it was less from awe at the splendor and more at the warm feeling the castle gave off of _home_ that had made the two boys smile. They stood side by side, looking even more alike in their school attire even without the house affiliation yet marking, and with dozens of other children in the same clothing _though not many near as nicely made_ around them. There was a sort of unforgettable and intangible feel to them, though it was so gently done with such precise casual behavior that one's eyes slid past and the knowledge fell to the subconscious. That was one of Ambra's many tricks she had been able to teach both boys. Neither reacted, not even when there was practically an embarassing reaction from no few students present as Potter's name was called. Lips not moving, barely a sound Hadrian leaned into his brother and chuckled as Blaise's voice murmured for only his ears.

"the little lion's prancing..forgetting it is the females in the pride that are to be feared..the men just battle each other and fuss with their hair."

"Look at him, fratello..strutting as if tail in the air. I wonder if they do that because they are constantly passing wind, or to show off their little sacks?" Hadrian responded. Blaise let out a slightly louder chuckle, and they were both aware that a few around them had heard Hadrian's response. No matter. They would not contain some behaviors when around each other.

"Indeed I think I have seen dandelions with orbs of more majesty, and those blow away." Blaise responded, smirking then over his shoulder as a girl gave a rich soft laugh. She inclined her head, ice blue eyes meeting theirs.

Blaise nodded, and Hadrian did the same before returning to the attention ahead of them. This time Blaise's voice was not pitched to carry. "Rockwood. Those comments will be spread through the snake pit before morning no matter where we go."

"Well done." Hadrian conceded he had been unaware of Blaise's ploy. Point to Blaise.

"Trickster, Hadrian."

Hadrian moved, aware he was suddenly going to have the entire focus of the hall albeit briefly. He would make a point to stick in their minds, only to fade away. It would make when they emerged in third year all the more striking. Slowly, Hadrian walked with the grace of a predator. It was not that of a hunter, but the lazy movements, yet no motion no matter how tiny was wasted. It did not feel aggressive, for it was the stride a werewolf would have recognized as that of one more a scavenger. It was in the roll of his hips and knees, the sway of his hands gently moving near him and the motion allowed of his head and neck. This was a motion that while saying _ I could be dangerous_ also said _someday. Not today. Not yet. _ And it only showed to those who were looking for it. As of now, that would be no one. Later when they looked back the casual easy stride, complete with a content smile would not seem so much like a lazy interested child. As there was no maliciousness to his appearance or aura, it would set no one off. The fangs were sheathed.

The hat dropped.

"Well, hello!"

Fully aware the hat was not hampered by language barriers Hadrian switched to Italian. The words just lost something in translation. _Hello signore headpiece. Zia Eleonora sends her regards. _

"_I see she spoiled my surprise."_

"_No. Merely wanted us to give weight and thought, though she did not clairify to what it is that finally sways your decision. Where I fit now? Where I would learn the best?..do tell me something besides just a name, singore? Perhaps how long you take to compose a song?"_

"_Clever!" _the hat chuckled, pleased. _"Not so long. You see, I have everyone thinking I spend all year on it. In truth, sadly, History shall repeat itself and every song I have sung before. I merely alter words to fit a bit better in the time frame. I have warnings, cajoles, encouragement..why I am History given Memory my dear young Trickster. And you need not worry..yes, good, relax a bit. I will _never_ tell your origins. Though I cannot help you know the why, as I have not been on the heads of any but the child and well..he doesn't know much. About many things." _

Hadrian chuckled, delighted. _"Have you a name, Signore of the shade from bright sun?"_

"_Ha! Charmer! Oh frabjous day!"_

"_Caloo Callay he chortled in his joy."_

"_And well read! A bit of nonsense is good for the soul. No worries though, you shall never go to Ravenclaw. I do not think the eagles would do well with the child of one who would pluck them for a meal!"_

"_Ah, Signore of the musical stitches I only wish my Madre would pluck the birds first. She tends to choke on the feathers."_

Deep laughter echoed around Hadrian's heart for a moment. If nothing else, he had one friend already here in the stone walls. That it was a hat, meant nothing to Hadrian. The hat slipped a bit lower in a gesture no doubt meant to seem a bow of the head. _"I am touched. Yes dear boy, you have a great heart. A heart that opens like a cave to a roaring sea..and just like a cave with but a single action the opening collapses never to reopen. I will not tell you to be otherwise for I have seen much in my years. I will admit too that you have with your family learned the fact. You would do well in Hufflepuff. So well, my weaver of nonsense. None would suspect you, none would turn on you there. Hufflepuff is looked down on, frowned on for no reason I can fathom in my brim. They would never cause you fear..and when your changes come out you will have Allies. What is more, some day if your ..Unfortunate Relations of your past are ever learned, they will stand beside you in greater numbers then any other. There is great reason to never anger a badger.."_

Hadrian smiled, a beautiful charming smile that unseen to him as he was under the hat, set off a few blushes. The hush of whispers as they wondered what was taking so long with this one, though he was not the first hat stall that evening, settled a bit. What a charming sweet child he must be.

It was all Blaise could do not to grin.

"_I shall be a wizard with as much of Coyote and Kitsune in me as we can pray I have. How would they blend with a badger?"_

Again the hat laughed. _"The jaws that bite, the claws that dig. No, there is no beware of the Jabberwock here, my beamish boy. Coyotes and Foxes are clever are they not? Able to tell when not to pick a fight? Yet is not a Witch or Wizard when so sure of their ideals like a badger? Prepared for anything to get what they feel they must, or defend? Perhaps a bit of badger will only ease your way..you are not the first with a tie to the Trickster who has come through these walls. Your Zia worried much the same. However in her case stubborn is in the blood, Italian you know. What she needed was to learn how to strike as a snake and then retreat..will you let me place you amongst the black of night and golden of fur to be?"_

Hadrian laughed then, softly, a true happy sound that had Blaise's shoulders relaxing. He never truly doubted where Hadrian would go.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat called out and it sounded so pleased, so amused. Right before the light met his eyes again Hadrian whispered softly in his mind.

"_You really have a way with words, Signore of time and History. I only hope to speak with you again some day."_

Hadrian stepped down then, sending that true smile, the one that lit up his green eyes and flashed teeth that would someday be a bit more pointed to Blaise. Their magic sang between them, along that bond of theirs and Blaise smiled back.

Hadrian turned to his new table and sat down, though his smile had begun to fade away back to his usual more stoic expression he let his eyes remain friendly, and a slight upcurve at his lips.

"Zabini, Blaise!"

_What is this?" _ The hat sounded delighted. _"Two! Two bonds in your family within a century! I did not quite grasp that fact, delving into your brother as I did."_

"_Greetings, Signore."_

"_So polite. Please, give my highest compliments to your mamma when you write to her. Eleonora was one of my favorite Slytherins. She was more so of one then Slytherin himself, as he lost his dreams along the years..no, Eleonora was utterly Slytherin when she left. She could have been Ravenclaw though, as your father who could have been was..as I sense you are. Perhaps, mr. Zabini you are that rarest of gifts..a child who truly is the product of what should have been?"_

"_Mamma always thought so. From his letters, so did my father. He did not mind the idea that some how some part of me was from the man who never had the chance to be my sire. He rather felt it would ease his mind if it were true, since it was only because my father who never was, as you put it, died that my father met my mother."_

"_Such mysteries, magic holds for us. And such mysteries in you, Blaise. Indeed, you are brilliant..no, though I could see you amongst the eagles you would fly higher then they do, though the eagle flies up over any storm. That is not your way though, you prefer to creep, to be in the shadows, a brilliant dazzling strike and then the patience. You my dear Mr. Zabini are a serpent with feathers. I am afraid you are one of very few students truly deserving of the house though my apologies. Since Grindelwald I am afraid the house of cunning and ambition has come to mean of bullies and wealth, to buy ones way into a situation rather then seeing how to diffuse it or direct it upon another. Perhaps, much as I suspect your soul's twin will awaken others to the potential in Hufflepuff, you shall become the Basilisk amongst the serpents. Not yet, no you are but a hatchling, but become the crested serpent, won't you Zabini? Remind them of what true power is, and not a corrupt facsimile"_

"_I am honored, Signore."_

"_Be not ashamed, ever, Mr. Zabini. I named you the Basilisk, please let me know if I am correct when you graduate, hm?"_

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat bellowed, with as much joy and fervor as it had Hadrian's house. Blaise stood before the hat could be taken, taking it off with great care and handing it respectfully to McGonagall. Then, with the same roiling walk as Hadrian used, he smiled a single true look of Joy, of secrets to be told later when they had time on the morrow at his brother. With that, regal as a Prince of Snakes, he sat at the end of his new houses table. He was the last to be sorted. Perhaps, that was as it should be.


End file.
